Her First Friends
by TsukikoUchu
Summary: When Sakura was born her parents knew she'd be different, so decided to be the best parents they could be to their daughter, as she grows up a certain Uchiha becomes her very first friend and instills the Will of Fire so deeply into Sakura and before entering the academy meets and befriends Shino and oh did i mention she has an obsession with bugs isn't that just great!
1. Prologue

At her birth both Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno knew that their daughter was going to be special different than any other little kid, she didn't act like a normal baby, there were no random bouts of crying, no temper tantrums or the like.

It worried them "What'll we do Kizashi" Mebuki was tired of wondering what would become of their baby girl, their sweet little cherry blossom, Sakura, who rested soundly in her crib three months after her birth.

"There is little that we can do but be the best parents we can and raise her right" Kizashi said seriously, peering down into the crib at the sleeping baby with bubblegum pink hair, breathing even and undisturbed and so that's what they did.


	2. The First Meeting and Friendship

~5 years later~

"Ready to go to the library Sakura-chan" Mebuki laughed at her precocious daughter who at this time next year would be going to the academy as she'd expressed interest in becoming a shinobi, despite them being a mainly civilian family.

At the word library little five year old Sakura perked up and twisted her head in her mothers direction before nodding eagerly "Love books" Sakura smiled brightly, clutching one in her arms already the latest that needed to be taken back before it was overdue.

"Come on then Sakura-chan, do you want your old man to carry you or your lovely mother" Kizashi held open his arms waiting for Sakura to make her choice, Sakura looked between her parents then the book and frowned.

Before grabbing up a little backpack and taking hold of both her mother and father's hands "Compromise" the rosette announced not wanting either of her parents to feel jealous if she chose one over the other.

Her parents showed matching smiles of amusement "Very well Sakura-chan now away to the library" the green eyed blonde pumped her arm knowing exactly how to get her daughter excited as they marched down the streets of their beautiful village.

Sakura looking around with wide jade eyes full of curiosity and awe until they reached the library probably for the hundredth time since they'd taught their daughter how to read and write last year "Here we are and the books checked last time" the pink haired male grinned.

Taking the little pack and emptying it on the counter for the librarian to check in, Sakura was physically vibrating with happiness and the moment her parents let go of her hands she was off heading for one of her favorite sections in the library while her parents sat at the front waiting.

Upon arrival to the shinobi section little Sakura met someone she'd never met before and she quickly hid behind the bookshelf peeking at the teenager shyly "Oh hello there cutie what's your name" and it was just her luck that he had to notice her.

Glancing around carefully Sakura ducked her head for a moment and then "Sakura Haruno, I'm gonna be a super strong kunoichi someday, just like Lady Tsunade" she straightened her shoulders and stood tall before blurting all that out bravely.

Ducking behind the shelf again seconds after her introduction, to the teenagers amusement "Well Sakura-chan, I'm Shisui Uchiha of the Uchiha Clan, so what brings you to the library today Sakura-chan" Shisui greeted, finding the little girl adorable.

Especially with that bright pink hair of hers and her bright eyes filled with the innocence of a child "New books to read maybe on um the history of Leaf and if your from the Uchiha clan does that mean you have the dojutsu, sh..shari..sharingan right" the rosette stuttered on the last word.

But managed to ask good and proper as her mother had taught her if she ever had a question "Look at you all knowledgeable and stuff, but yes Sakura-chan I have my sharingan" the raven haired teen chuckled and ruffled her bangs.

Then turned to the shelf and grabbed a book on basic Leaf Village history for the kid and handed it to her "Would you please also hand me a book on theory of chakra" Sakura requested politely clutching the first book to her chest.

"Anything else Sakura-chan" Shisui couldn't help it this girl was way to freaking cute, her face brightened and she nodded rattling off a couple more books, a book on chakra natures and the last the only book in the library on fuinjutsu.

It was adorable how she clutched them all to her chest awkwardly "Thank you very much Shisui-san" the pinkette bowed as was proper of her, then vanished to her second favorite section in the library to grab a couple books on bugs.

"Damn gonna have to come back again just to see her" the Uchiha chuckled under his breath watching her wait patiently as her books were checked out, then situated them all in a small backpack and grab onto two adults that must be her parents and left the library with them.

He shook his head, made his own selection and hurried off to the compound "Why do you seem so happy Shisui-san" Itachi greeted eyeing his friend, who seemed oddly pleased about something and it was a little weird.

"No reason in particular only just met the most adorable little girl ever with pink hair and green eyes she was such a polite kid to" Shisui grinned, Itachi blinked then shrugged and tugged his sandals onto his feet so they could go train.

The next time Shisui met Sakura it was a week later, in the library again "Oh Shisui-san, nice to see you again" the little rosette smiled brightly at him as she looked at the books to see what she wanted to read next.

"Yeah, nice to see you again to Sakura-chan, so what will it be today" the ebony haired teen asked, even going so far as to lift her up so she could see what was on the higher shelves, the action coming easier than expected.

As she looked and read the titles before pointing "Body flicker sounds interesting maybe when I go into the academy next year, they'll teach us, hey what's it like Shisui-san, the academy I mean" Sakura rambled adorably.

Just a tiny bit surprised that the tiny girl was taking interest in complicated subjects, he grabbed the book for her and handed it down to her "Eh, fun sometimes, tough as you get older and the body flicker is probably something you'll have to practice on your own" Shisui admitted.

Sakura frowned and clutched the book in her arms "Guess that's that then, I've always been a do it my self kind of person anyway" the pinkette shrugged, her nose scrunching up cutely as she did so and Shisui bit his cheek harshly to keep from squealing.

"Right so anything else you want to pick out Sakura-chan, by the way your very articulate did you know that" the Uchiha questioned gently and even made a comment on her vocabulary and proper annunciation despite her age.

In response she nodded "My Momma and Daddy says I was different the moment I was born maybe that's why, theory of genjutsu please I like the idea of it, illusions where you can see anything the user wants you to see and the anatomy book on the top shelf please" Sakura requested.

"How is it your so polite Sakura-chan and here we are the chosen books" Shisui inquired lightly handing over the other picked out books the little girl wanted, all of them complicated subjects but if that's what she wanted to read he couldn't say anything.

She tilted her head to the side at his question "Daddy and Momma taught me to always be polite no matter what, anyway thank you very much again for helping me reach the books Shisui-san" the rosette bowed yet again and off she went.

This time he followed her to a normal section and chuckled as she grabbed to books on insects that interested her "Might have a secret Aburame on my hands" the teenager shook his head thoroughly amused as he grabbed his own books and left.

The third time he saw Sakura it wasn't in the library this time "Oh hello Shisui-san" Sakura sniffled eyes red and puffy, it had been two weeks since they'd last met, as he'd been on a B Rank mission, they were standing in the lobby of the hospital.

"Did you get hurt Sakura-chan" Shisui frowned, eyeing her clothes that were covered in dirt, the tear tracks and the deep scrapes on her elbows and knee's, even her hands were scraped up and bleeding the sight made him a little angry.

She sniffled again "Girls were picking on me at the park, Momma and Daddy were busy so left me alone, I said I could handle myself" the pinkette hiccuped, Shisui felt for the small girl and hefted her into his arms before approaching the receptionist.

"Anyway you can get her in to see a medic, these scrapes are pretty bad and could get infected if left to heal on their own" the ebony haired teenager gestured to the little girl in his arms and the woman behind the desk stared in horror.

Before nodding and having him fill out information despite not being her guardian or family member, if her parents were busy she couldn't very well be left on her own in that kind of condition and thankfully the receptionist understood.

Not long after they were sitting in a room waiting to be healed, him to but he wouldn't dare tell sweet innocent Sakura-chan that he was injured as well "Goodness what happened to you sweetie" the medic arrived in due time.

And gasped in horror "Some girls pushed me down at the park and my parents are busy with their stall today down in the market so I came here" Sakura explained sitting still on the table waiting patiently and staring in awe when the woman's hands glowed bright green.

The mystical palm a jutsu she'd read about and her idol Tsunade Senju was the mistress of medical ninjutsu, this only made her resolve to become a super strong kunoichi someday stronger as all her scrapes were healed and the pain went away.

"Just don't forget to tell your parents what happened okay Sakura-chan and take care of yourself, I'm sure we'll see each other soon" Shisui waved as she hopped from the table to the floor gracelessly and was led from the room, she waved back.

Once she was all signed out of the hospital scurried home and found her parents waiting "My sweet brave little Sakura-chan, we're sorry you had to go through that by yourself" Mebuki was horrified upon learning that her daughter had been bullied.

To the point where she'd been injured bad enough to have to go the hospital "Next time we'll go with you for sure" Kizashi grimaced, hating that he hadn't been there to stop the bullying in time where Sakura had gotten hurt.

"I'm okay really Momma, Daddy, Shisui-san from the library was there with me and just like Lady Tsunade I'm gonna be a medic to" the rosette chattered a mile a minute, her parents just smiling in amusement of their daughter as she talked about her very first friend.


	3. Sakura's Bug Hunting Expedition

~1 Year Later~

"Momma and Daddy signed me up for the academy I start next week" six year old Sakura chattered to her best friend the moment she spotted him during her weekly visit to the library and get new books to read.

His head tilted down to spy her and a grin spread across his lips "That so, well congrats I know your going to be a top notch student Sakura-chan probably the best in the academy, over little Sasuke-chan for sure" Shisui exclaimed.

Ruffling her bangs as he'd grown use to her "Sasuke-chan are you talking about the Sasuke all the girls talk about at the park and have even made a fan club for him, he's an Uchiha just like you right Shisui-kun" the pinkette creased her brow in concentration trying to remember.

Shisui nodded "Yep, yep, don't tell anyone I told you this but Sasuke-chan doesn't appreciate all that attention so if you could keep an eye out for him for me in the academy pretty please Sakura-chan that would be great" the ebony haired teenager put his hands together and pouted.

Causing the little six year old to laugh and nod her head eagerly "Of course that's what friends are for right Shisui-kun so just leave it to me to make sure Sasuke-chan doesn't get to bothered in the academy" Sakura grinned.

"Thanks Sakura-chan now what kind of books would you like" Shisui patted the exuberant girl on the head again before gesturing to the shelves, knowing that once she was done in this section she would go to the section which held books on all kinds of insects.

One of these days he was going to have to see if he could take her out on a bug hunting expedition and just the thought of it had him giddy with happiness, maybe they'd even meet some of the Aburame clan, that way little Sakura-chan would have another friend in the academy.

With that thought he resolved himself to talk to Sakura's parents before they all disappeared to home "Err I'd like to read about the chakra scalpel and it's uses, also the different types of weapons and their uses, plus theory of elemental jutsu's please" the pinkette requested.

By that point after a year of knowing the little girl Shisui was very use to her politeness in regards to asking for things "Here we are Sakura-chan" the Uchiha chuckled handing her the three books that she'd asked for.

And once she was distracted by searching around in her second favorite section, ran for the hills to speak with her parents "Ah Shisui-san, thank you for being kind to our daughter" Kizashi greeted grateful of the Uchiha who looked out for his sweet little Sakura-chan.

His lips curved up into a grin "Nah she's such a joy to be around Kizashi-san, anyway I was wondering since Sakura-chan has a secret obsession with insects if you'd mind that I took her out on a bug hunting expedition a couple days from now" Shisui chuckled lightly.

Making his own request "You know Sakura-chan might enjoy that Shisui-san, so long as you look out for her while outside the village and bring her back before it gets to dark" Mebuki relented rather easily to the teenagers request.

Knowing how much her daughter adored Shisui, who decided to appear at that exact moment clutching her usual five books to her chest and staring between them in confusion "What's going on Momma, Daddy, Shisui-kun" Sakura asked carefully.

Afraid that she might be in trouble for something "What do you say to going on a bug hunting expedition with me in a couple of days" the ebony haired teenager offered, just waiting for it that little light bulb to go off.

Like expected her jade eyes lit up and filled with excitement "Really Shisui-kun, may I please Momma, Daddy please with a cherry on top" the rosette pouted so adorably that her parents couldn't refuse that kind of face.

"Of course sweetie but you must listen to Shisui-san okay, do as he asks and not stray from his side no matter how curious you are or what kind of insect you see that interests you" the blonde nodded and spoke in a warning tone.

Sakura was to happy to refuse so nodded eagerly "We'll make sure she's ready two days from now Shisui-san, ready to check out your books Sakura-chan" the pink haired male chuckled still wondering about his daughters strange obsession with insects but not complaining.

For so long as she was happy, they, he and Mebuki would be happy as well, Sakura was their pride and joy, the only child they had and they loved her all the more for it, despite her uniqueness and difference to other children, Shisui waved and hurried off.

Leaving them to head home once the five books were checked out her usual limit and stuffed gently into a backpack before she took her parents held out hands and let them lead her home where she cuddled into their sides on the couch and read until supper, then bedtime.

The next day the three of them had a short shopping excursion and the things bought included a couple of butterfly nets, some non-scented bug spray to keep mosquito's away, a book on all insects and a small glass terrarium, an outfit suitable for the outdoors as well.

And the next morning Shisui showed up for their bug hunting expedition "Are you ready Sakura-chan" Shisui inquired watching her eat a little faster to polish off her breakfast while still minding her manners.

When she was done she washed her dishes and grabbed the little backpack full of stuff needed for their adventure, a five tiered lunchbox and the butterfly nets "Definitely Shisui-kun, we'll be back later Momma, Daddy" Sakura waved happily.

After the door shut both of them grinned fondly "She sure is something else, maybe she gets it from my side" Kizashi chuckled, his little cherry blossom was a riot and the world wouldn't know how to handle her once she became a genin and so on and so forth.

"Maybe or it could be from my side, you know that I don't know all of my ancestry after all" Mebuki tsked wishing there were ways to find out but that information had been long since lost before Sakura had ever been born.

In the meantime Shisui had grabbed Sakura's hand and body flickered them across the village, her eyes wide and full of awe at seeing the technique in action for the first time ever "Another day Sakura-chan" the Uchiha chuckled seeing the questions in her eyes.

"Okay, okay so what are we hunting, I thought maybe the elusive stick insect or a rare butterfly perhaps" the pinkette chattered a mile a minute once they'd both signed out to the guards surprise and hurried out the gates to begin their hunt.

He also hoped that there was an Aburame that had a kid Sakura's age so she could befriend him and have a friend in the academy "It's whatever you want Sakura-chan, the most important thing though is to have fun" Shisui grinned.

Keeping an eye out for danger at the same time as they headed into the forest outside the village "Let's see mm how about a weevil beetle" Sakura pointed out the insect on the book her parents had bought her the day before.

So began their search and that's how an hour nearly passed them by until Shisui finally caught sight of the blasted insect with his sharingan of course "Over there Sakura-chan" the teenager pointed at a tree and nudged her towards it gently.

The little girl was practically beside herself as she captured the insect in her little glass tank to inspect it up close "This ones a bark beetle, they like to infest tree's" the rosette rattled off information for Shisui.

Who peered into the tank curiously with her "Not gonna keep it Sakura-chan" Shisui questioned lightly once she dumped the little insect out gently and watched it scurry up the tree from where she'd dislodged it earlier.

"Uh-uh they can get into the wood of the house, Momma wouldn't be happy about that" Sakura shook her head already imagining the scolding she would get if that sort of insect ever got loose in the house, it would be her fault.

It was hard not to bust a gut laughing as he led her away on the hunt for another insect that interested the adorable six year old "Probably a wise choice then Sakura-chan" the Uchiha chuckled once he was sure he wouldn't die of laughter.

A weird look was shot his way "How about next we look for a butterfly or is it to cold for them" the pinkette creased her brow in thought reading through her little book again and he couldn't stop the smile from forming.

"Right and even if it is, they'll be easier to catch and look at for a bit" Shisui reminded looking around like his little charge for the day was, though she had a lower vantage point than him, and was looking down more than up.

That's why she didn't notice the head on collision course they were about to have with another bug hunting duo "Oomph sorry Mister" Sakura apologized even as her head reeled from cracking into the knee of an older person.

"My apologies as well as I did not know anyone else was out here, Uchiha-san" the man mistakenly thought she was also an Uchiha like her friend and she managed to open her eyes and peer up at the tall person.

And shake her head lightly "Not an Uchiha, Aburame-sama, Sakura-chan's from a civilian family, how you feeling, are you okay or should I take you to the hospital" the ebony haired teenager knelt until he was eye level with the little girl.

Who blinked her eyes rapidly to clear away the white spots "I'm good and sorry Aburame-sama is your knee okay I did ram into it pretty hard" Sakura bowed feeling terrible what if she messed up his knee and he had to have surgery or something to fix it.

By that point he was pretty amused "Just fine there's nothing to worry about Sakura-san correct and you can call me Shibi if you'd like, this is my son Shino, so may I ask what are you two doing out here" Shibi introduced himself and his son.

He'd been quiet so far "Bug hunting expedition like yourselves no doubt, Sakura-chan loves all kinds of insects and reads about them every week" Shisui announced downright giddy that his wish had come true and now Sakura-chan wouldn't be alone on her first day at the academy.

"Have you found anything interesting, why because your little case is empty" little six year old Shino decided to pipe in at that exact moment and Sakura focused her vivid eyes on him before glancing down her glass tank.

Finally nodding as she registered the question "Mhm a weevil beetle but I let it go, now we're looking for a butterfly, Shisui-kun said that they'd be easier to catch since it's still early in the morning" the rosette chattered.

Excited to be around people who shared a common interest "Very interesting you said she was from a civilian family" the Aburame Patriarch asked when the two kids promptly began searching through the bushes in clear view of the adults looking for a butterfly.

"Yes but Sakura-chan is different than your average civilian kid, articulate and interested in very complicated subjects even when she was five" the Uchiha nodded stretching his senses out to feel around them in every direction and found nothing so they were safe.

Over where the kids were searching Shino kept throwing her little looks from behind his sunglasses that she could feel "How did you get interested in this sort of thing anyway, hunting for bugs isn't something girls usually like, why because most find them disgusting" the brunet rambled.

She looked at him oddly "Different than your average girl Shino-kun, I love bugs, always have, their totally amazing, ooh look it's a butterfly" Sakura answered politely and pulled apart some bushes and found a butterfly resting.

It was gently captured in her butterfly net and placed in her tank afterward to be looked at much closer "What kind is it Sakura-chan or do you know" Shisui and Shino's dad joined them in the next moment done with their private conversation.

Thankfully the Aburame's came to the rescue "Peacock butterfly isn't that right, why because of it's pattern" Shino creased his brow trying to remember and looking to his father just in case he was wrong.

To his relief his Father did nod "Correct very knowledgeable and a good find are you going to keep it Sakura-san" Shibi asked watching as she turned her attention back onto the butterfly and looked her fill of it.

Before shaking her head to Shisui's amusement and releasing it, even going so far as to put it back gently where she'd found it and dusting off her shorts once she was done "I'm not sure I'll keep any of them, I just like insects" the pinkette admitted.

Unafraid to do so because the two Aburame's seemed to like bugs just as much as she did "That's very mature of you Sakura-chan" the ebony haired teenager chuckled and ruffled her bangs, it was then he noticed that her hair was growing out.

And he wondered how long would she let it grow before getting fed up and cutting it, she smiled up at him brightly "Are you going to join the academy and the shinobi program, why because that also seems like something your interested in" Shino cut in curiously.

When they started walking on the hunt for any random bug they could find at that point, Sakura nodded her head eagerly and Shino felt relief fill him that he'd have a friend in the academy so long as she didn't become disgusted with him suddenly.

"Good, good then you wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Shino for me would you Sakura-san" the Aburame Patriarch inquired and she shook her head indicating that she didn't mind in the least if it meant having a friend before academy ever started.

More than relieved the four of them continued their trek through the forest clear up to lunch "Here we can share, my Momma made lots, to much for me and Shisui-kun to eat by ourselves" Sakura offered when it seemed like the Aburame's were going to leave.

Again Shibi was surprised at how polite, respectful and kind the little girl was and decided to accept her offer of sharing lunch with her and Shisui "Just how is you two became friends anyway" Shibi questioned of the Uchiha.

"I met Sakura-chan in the library and every week when I'm not on a mission we just talked and so naturally a friendship was built between us" Shisui answered diving into the rice, Mebuki was a good cook after all and it was a treat to eat the woman's food.

Shibi nodded in acceptance, digging in after giving a thanks for the food "Do you have any siblings" Shino inquired curiously of his hopeful friend, Sakura lowered her chopsticks at the question and swallowed before answering.

"Nope it's just me, Momma and Daddy, not that I would mind a little brother or sister, but I don't think Momma wants to have anymore kids" the rosette admitted seriously, brow furrowed and eyes dark in contemplation before she brightened again.

Shisui knew that it was because the woman wasn't sure if she could handle another child that was different, having heard about the years before he'd met Sakura and how strange the little girl had acted growing up, no temper tantrums, crying spells, nothing and the woman had been spooked.

Kizashi as well "Well you could always just consider everyone your brother or sister Sakura-chan, the will of fire after all is to see everyone as family no matter if their blood related or not" the Uchiha blurted before he could help himself.

There went her vivid green eyes lighting up as she cuddled into his side "Right thank you for sharing your food with us Sakura-san, but we must be going now" the Aburame Patriarch thanked the little girl as he stood.

"Yeah see you at the academy Sakura, why because we're friends" the six year old brunet pushed his sunglasses back into place and then turned on his heel following after his father as they headed home leaving the odd colored duo alone to continue their expedition.

Until it started growing late and Sakura began growing tired of walking around, no doubt hungry again so Shisui took her into his arms and body flickered them to the gates, signed them both in and then body flickered across the village to Sakura's home.

"Tuckered out is she, did you not find any to keep" Mebuki questioned taking her daughter into her arms seeing as the little girl was practically passed out, Shisui chuckled and shook his head pointing to Sakura as he spoke.

"Found tons of insects but she decided not to keep any of them, tell her I'll see her at the library if I'm not on a mission" Shisui whispered not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl to much and with a wave was off to his own compound.

It was hard waking Sakura up for dinner "Made a new friend, his names Shino, he's gonna be in the academy to" Sakura mumbled tiredly and trying to eat with the manners that had been instilled into her by her mother, but it was so hard and she was so sleepy after a long day of bug hunting.

"That's good now you have a friend that you can hang out with during the academy and not be so lonely" Kizashi chuckled watching his daughter practically falling asleep in her food until she jolted awake and managed to finish off dinner before taking a bath and finally being tucked into bed where they all settled down to get some shut eye.


	4. Beginning of a Long, Long Journey

Her first day in the academy was like nothing she ever expected "To many kids" Shino grimaced behind his coat collar, eyeing the rows of their classmates warily as they sat in the far back of the room to avoid getting in trouble.

"Yeah I agree, but at least we have each other and if I can convince him Sasuke to, so long as I don't act like that" Sakura shook her head in disgust at her own gender, like seriously they weren't even adults yet and Sasuke was still a kid like the rest of them of course he wouldn't be interested.

Shino stared in the direction she was looking and cringed when a high pitched squeal came from Ino Yamanaka and threw her arms around Sasuke, who scowled and tried to pry the girl off of him "Won't be to difficult, your different after all" the Aburame Heir scoffed.

Sakura nodded her head and focused her gaze forward as their sensei finally entered the classroom so they could begin their first lesson "Theory of Chakra, it's important to know how to use your chakra as a ninja" Iruka began after taking roll call to make sure all of them were there.

Droning on and on with his lecture, Sakura writing down copious amounts of notes "I'm probably going overboard but I don't want to fail" the rosette smiled sheepishly when her friend gave her an odd look at her stack of notes that she piled into a folder all nice and neat.

And so on went their morning after switching from their homeroom sensei and learned about theory of genjutsu, subjects that she'd already studied extensively until it was lunch time "Are you going to invite Sasuke" Shino eyed the lonesome boy.

Who looked like he didn't know what he wanted besides being left alone by girls, Sakura pursed her lips in thought before nodding and together they approached "Go away I'm not interested" Sasuke spat already on edge.

"I know and understand one thing I'm not like the rest of the females in this class Sasuke-san, my Mom made extra and I wanted to know if you'd like to share since it seems like you don't have a lunchbox today" Sakura put her hands on her hips.

Sasuke leaned away from her at that, ebony orbs wide and wary as he thought over her offer, he'd just made up his mind when his stomach growled "Fine but if you ever ask me out I'm not hanging out with you again" the raven haired six year old scowled cheeks pink in embarrassment.

"Glad we have an understanding Sasuke now lets go, this is Shino Aburame in case you weren't paying attention when we all introduced ourselves" the pinkette clapped grabbing her five tiered lunchbox before the three of them snuck out of the classroom to the empty roof.

None of them were sure they could actually be up there but it was free of their classmates and so they settled down to eat "Does your mother usually make this much" the brunet heir blinked his eyes behind his sun glasses at the amount of food set before them.

Viridian orbs focused on him as a wide smile split her face "Only on special days just in case I made any more friends, this is a great way to establish friendships, sharing food and the will of fire is seeing everyone as family remember no matter who they are" Sakura admitted happily.

The two boys on the roof stared at her before shrugging "Well either way I'm kind of glad your different than our other female classmates uh Sakura right" Sasuke flushed trying to remember her name and getting it right on the first try proving he had been paying attention.

As she nodded and gave her thanks for the food before digging in followed by Sasuke and Shino "My Father says that the next time you go on a bug hunting expedition you should come get us so we can come along" Shino piped in four minutes later.

"Bug hunting expedition, are you saying you like bugs, you really are different most girls don't like bugs" the six year old Uchiha heir frowned in confusion and Sakura's expression shifted it was one that told him he better tread carefully.

"Let's hope you don't have a problem with that" the rosette narrowed her eyes, that was the exact reason she hadn't told anyone beyond Shisui, who'd snuck behind her back to find out that she liked reading about and hunting for insects.

He shook his head hastily not wanting to be hit or yelled at especially by the only sane girl in his class so far and Sakura relaxed "The subject is touchy" the Aburame Heir offered as Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief and they continued enjoying their lunch.

Understanding in his gaze as he nodded Sasuke resolved himself to never make fun of Sakura for her different likes so long as it kept her from fawning over him like the other girls, she made a decent friend.

With that they finished eating lunch, cleaned up after themselves and headed off to class for their next lesson, upon sitting down Sasuke found his favorite pencil missing, he threw a glare at Sakura thinking it was her and she gave him a weird look from her spot in the back of the room.

Before he remembered that she'd been with him and Shino up on the roof the entire time so couldn't still his pencil and ducked his head in apology, the rest of the day carried on and still his pencil didn't turn up.

"Everything okay Sasuke" Sakura asked gently eyeing the moping expression on his face as he put his books in his bag, his shoulders slumped but he nodded putting on a brave face as they left academy grounds to split up.

Just before they were though "My favorite pencil that my Ni-san gave me is gone" Sasuke admitted then hurried off to home depressed how was he going to face his brother now after loosing what had been a gift to him.

Sakura sighed "See you tomorrow Sakura" Shino waved seeing his father and hurrying towards the man while Sakura forced a smile onto her face and started walking home alone, as that time of day her parents would be working at their stall.

It was halfway there that her ears picked up on conversation a short distance away from her "Ino-chan was so brave sneaking into the classroom and stealing Sasuke-kun's pencil now she has a momento for life" Ami Himekari, her park bully giggled.

Disappointed with the girls of her class Sakura squared her shoulders and marched her way towards the flower shop she'd only been in a couple times with her mother "Oh my what an adorable little girl" Aiko Yamanaka squealed when she entered the shop.

All eyes turning to her "Indeed so what can we do for you sweetie or are you a new friend of Ino-chan's" Inoichi Yamanaka asked and his daughter turned her head to spy the girl with pink hair that had sat in the back of the class with the weird looking boy.

Resolved because she knew it was the right thing to do Sakura shook her head "Not exactly Mister, but um just a little while ago Ami Himekari was bragging about how Ino-san stole one of our classmates favorite pencil, he was upset the rest of the day cause of it" the pinkette announced.

Getting right to the point and not beating around the bush about the reason she was there, Ino froze guilt plastered all over her face giving truth to the accusation "You're a little liar billboard brow I did no such thing" Ino crossed her arms over her chest haughtily.

"Then you wouldn't mind emptying out your bookbag and pockets, you and the other girls in class bothered Sasuke all day even when he asked you guys to leave him alone, and stealing is just plain wrong even if you like said person" Sakura narrowed her eyes, determined to cheer Sasuke up no matter what and get his pencil back.

Aiko and Inoichi were shocked and horrified when their daughter roughly dumped out her book-bag "Here stupid billboard brow and if you ever come near me again I'm gonna put you in the hospital" the blonde spat striking Sakura across the face after kicking the pencil out into the street.

"Young lady that was incredibly stupid, you don't threaten someone else or hit them just because your mad and stealing is wrong so you apologize right this instant or you'll go without dessert or seeing your friends that are terrible influences on you" Aiko Yamanaka screeched.

Watching the other girl carefully for any tears "I'm sorry for disrupting your evening Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka" the rosette bowed politely then straightened and after scooping up Sasuke's missing pencil headed towards where Shisui had said his Clan Compound was located.

"But Mom it's all that stupid billboard brows fault I didn't do anything wrong" Ino sulked unhappy that she was getting punished that stupid billboard brow why couldn't she just keep her nose out of other people's business.

Inoichi shook his head "Grounded now go to your room and think about what you've done" Inoichi pointed and after picking up her things and shoving them harshly back into her bag stomped her way up the steps and slammed the door to her room loudly.

Meanwhile after getting lost like four times in the span of ten minutes Sakura finally found her way to the Uchiha Compound "Are you lost little girl" there were guards posted at the gates to and she knew it wouldn't be easy getting in.

"Not exactly Uchiha-san um Sasuke's in my class and one of the other girls stole his favorite pencil I got it back for him and I'd like to return it please if you'd let me" Sakura held out the writing utensil itching to cry from the pain in her cheek.

They eyed her warily, whispering back and forth under their breaths for a few minutes and Sakura stood there waiting patiently "Very well just go straight through and once your done leave immediately, behave yourself and be polite if you meet Fugaku-sama" they warned.

Opening the gates and hoping they weren't making a mistake in letting the civilian girl through to see their Patriarch's youngest son "Thank you very much and I will, I promise Uchiha-san" the pinkette bowed low relieved that she was getting in.

And after taking a deep breath, steeling her nerves in the process started the long trek through the Uchiha Compound all by her lonesome, it was scary and she gripped the straps of her backpack tightly feeling all the glares directed at her.

Finally after fifteen minutes of being under scrutinizing stares she reached the biggest house she'd ever seen in her entire life and politely knocked on the door, it was less than a moment later that the door was pulled open to reveal a beautiful woman.

"You poor thing how did you get that bruise and scratch on your cheek" Mikoto Uchiha was exactly as Sasuke had described her, kind, as she gasped in horror and looked completely disturbed that she was hurt.

Hearing the commotion her two sons appeared "Sakura what happened, are you okay" Sasuke was right there glaring at the bruise on her cheek and Sakura flashed him a bright smile even though it really, really hurt.

"Pencil I got it back for you" Sakura held out the missing writing utensil that he'd been moping about for half the day by that point, Sasuke took it gingerly unable to really believe that someone would go that far for him just because he'd been a little depressed.

Mikoto's gaze softened "Itachi-chan would you get the first aide kit, oh wait sweetie at least let me tend that bruise for you okay" the raven haired woman said sternly when she caught the little girl turning to leave.

Sakura paused and looked conflicted "But your guards said that once I was done I had to leave right away and I made a promise that I would behave" the rosette bit her lip worried about breaking the promise she'd made.

"Pish-posh sweetie you can't very well ignore an order from the Matriarch of the Uchiha Clan so I say you can stay for a little while longer until that bruise and scratch is tended to" Mikoto put her foot down and Sakura nodded sagely.

Sasuke grinned "Thank you by the way Sakura for getting it back" the raven haired six year old added before frowning and staring at the bruise as Sakura was dragged into his house and after taking her sandals off was sat down in a chair by his mother.

"Here you go mother and are you the Sakura, Shisui-san is always going on about, sorry I'm Itachi, Sasuke's older brother" Itachi handed off the first aide kit to his mother before directing his attention onto the little girl.

Who nodded "Shisui-kun is my very first friend ever, he always helps me reach the high shelves at the library and lectures me on the important things in life, he's the one who taught me about the will of fire, how everyone is family blood related or not" Sakura explained.

Sitting positively still for Mikoto as she sprayed some antiseptic spray on her cheek to cleanse the scratch so it didn't get infected before a bandage was put over it and a wrapped ice-pack was handed to her to hold to her cheek and bring down the swelling of the bruise.

"Did that involve having to get hurt to, how did you even find out where it was or who took it anyway" Sasuke sulked wishing that she hadn't went to the extreme just over a stupid pencil, he could have gotten another one from his brother after all.

Emerald orbs shined "Ami Himekari was bragging about Ino Yamanaka stealing it so I went to her family shop, Ino-san got mad when she realized that she couldn't hide the fact she stole it from her parents, so she hit me" the rosette shrugged lightly.

Itachi blinked and scratched his cheek in confusion just as a bark of laughter came from a very familiar person "Brutal as ever I see Sakura-chan those morals of yours are something else I'll tell ya" Shisui guffawed hearing her statement.

The little girl merely grinned up at him "Your probably going to be a target for bullying now" Itachi pointed out gently not wanting to see the girl start crying once the realization hit her that some of the girls in her class would hate her now.

"Nothing new, Himekari and her friends already bullied me anyway for my forehead and pink hair so whats one more person" Sakura admitted lightly not bothered and Shisui sighed, sometimes that girl was to different.

Leaving everyone else baffled or confused "Honestly what am I ever going to do with you Sakura-chan" the ebony haired teenager shook his head with a sound between a snort and a laugh, thoroughly amused by the six year old.

His response was a cheeky smile before she handed off the wrapped ice-pack "Thank you very much Mrs. Uchiha for tending to my cheek but if I don't get home my parents will worry" the pinkette popped up from the chair and bowed low for the woman.

"Why don't you have Shisui take you home since your friends that way they aren't worried and know you were with someone they trust" Mikoto waved her hands just a tiny bit shocked that the girl was so polite and very curious how the friendship came about anyway.

She watched Shisui take the girl into his arms like he'd done it a million times and then body flicker off where they found Mebuki and Kizashi still gone "So what to talk about it" Shisui pointed at the bandage.

"Ino Yamanaka stole Sasuke's pencil and he was depressed about it, she got mad that I called her out on it and hit me" Sakura admitted shamelessly and Shisui sighed, pulling her into a fond hug wishing he had a little sister like this girl.

"That was very brave of you Sakura-chan, very brave and thank you for taking care of Sasuke-chan for me during the academy today" the Uchiha leaned back and they settled at the low table as she pulled out her homework.

Sakura bobbed her head "Your welcome Shisui-kun and of course that's what I promised after all" the rosette smiled brightly reading through her books and already knowing most of the material was able to answer all the questions on her worksheets for each lesson.

Until the two of them were sitting in silence, eventually Kizashi and Mebuki returned bearing dinner in the form of takeout and Shisui bid them farewell promising to keep a better eye on his little friend as he returned to the compound for the night.


	5. Importance of the Will of Fire

~Three months later~

What Itachi had said about her being bullied was an understatement, the bullying actually got worse as more than just Ino joined in on it "Just tell someone Sakura, a teacher, anyone please you can't keep letting them hurt you like this" Sasuke scowled.

As Sakura once again appeared with scrapes on her hands, knee's and elbows from where she fell after being shoved "I think Sasuke has a point Sakura, why because this has gone on long enough" Shino piped in frowning severely, worried for his friend.

"Maybe but even if I do tell, who's to say that they won't get even madder cause I tattled on them, right now their just shoving me down, it might get worse if I tell" Sakura pointed out as she dug around her bag for her first lesson books.

History it was one of her favorite classes to be honest, Sasuke sighed and held his head in his hands feeling exhausted "You have to be one of the most stubborn females I've ever met and that's excluding my mom" the raven haired boy groaned.

Sakura flashed him an apologetic smile and Shino knew that there was no getting through to his friend so decided to change topics "Are you doing anything this weekend Sakura, my Father mentioned another bug hunting expedition" the brunet said.

And the girl perked up in interest "Don't think so but I haven't seen Shisui-kun around for a week, I think maybe he's on a mission, however my parents will probably say yes since they've met you and your Dad, I'll mention it to them" the pinkette grinned.

Excited for another expedition in the forest with her friend looking for all sorts of insects, their mutual friend and row-mate shook his head but didn't comment on the weird likes of his only two friends in class so far.

"Okay settle down everyone it's time for roll-call then we'll begin with our history lesson" Iruka showed up finally and began calling out the names of their classmates until everyone was marked accounted for, then he rummaged around in his desk for his history book.

Before starting their history lesson "Lord Second Tobirama Senju….." the brunet read from his book and like Shino and Sasuke were use to by that point Sakura pulled out her notebook and started copying down her usual copious amount of notes.

It's not like she didn't already have enough of them, or already know the information being lectured to them, she simply did it because there were some things that she hadn't learned from the books and didn't want to forget in case they had it on a test in the future.

The hours passed by slowly as they went from lesson to lesson until it was finally time for lunch "Where do you think your going stupid little billboard brow" Ino caught her before they could disappear to the roof like usual.

She grit her teeth and ignored the blonde girl "Hey I'm talking to you ugly" the Yamanaka Heiress shouted and went to shove the pink haired freak when her wrist was caught in a snug grip, Ino looked up in fright and found their homeroom teacher the culprit.

"Surely Ino-chan I didn't hear you just insult Sakura-chan and try to shove her" Iruka narrowed his onyx eyes on Inoichi's daughter, having been warned by the man something like this might happen because of a certain incident going back to the first day from the start of the academy.

Quickly she shook her head "No not at all Iruka-sensei" Ino lied through her teeth it was something she wasn't very good at because fear of being found out was reflected in her cerulean eyes and Iruka knew that she was lying.

The truth came from someone unexpected through "Liar, I see you, Ami and some other girls in our class bullying Sakura all the time, pushing her down and stomping on her bag or hand" Kiba Inuzuka appeared, ninken sitting atop his head like usual.

Ino paled and Sakura knew that now might be the best time to tell the truth "Kiba-san isn't wrong but I couldn't in good faith allow Ino-san to get away with what she did on the first day of academy" Sakura squared her shoulders and spoke up.

Her two friends were very relieved that she was standing up for herself "Yeah, Himekari was bragging about how Ino snuck into the classroom during lunch and stole my pencil" Sasuke nodded eagerly wanting the bullying of his friend to stop.

"And it wasn't the only time she and the other girls tried to steal something of Sasuke's why, because I had my kikaichu on constant look out and she and the others snuck into class four other times only to get scared because of my insects" Shino admitted.

Sasuke snapped his head in Shino's direction eyes wide at the admission but thankful none the less for the effort being made to keep his stuff from being stolen by stupid girls, by that point Ino was silent and knowing she was going to be punished.

Decided to make a last ditch effort to get the stupid billboard brow in trouble to "She always starts it, mouthing off to us, so it's her fault that she gets pushed down and stuff, not like I can control Ami" the blonde grumbled unhappily.

Iruka shook his head "Run along you four to eat lunch, Ino your going to the principles office and he'll settle on your punishment, Ami Himekari will join you shortly as well as your other two friends" the brunet pointed.

Kiba snorted in disgust at the horrified expression Ino had as she was led away by their homeroom teacher "Well that could have ended differently, anyway sorry but I couldn't keep silent anymore" the Inuzuka heir shrugged.

Eyeing the three that were always together during academy hours "Nah don't worry about it Inuzuka, it was high time someone did something to stop them from hurting Sakura" the Uchiha in his class shrugged.

"Precisely, why because at any point it could have evolved into more than just being pushed down" the Aburame Heir nodded seriously relieved that everything seemed to be hopefully resolving itself on the whole matter and he could relax with the strict watch over their belongings.

Sakura crinkled her nose up "It might still get worse you know Sasuke, Shino, but thanks anyway Kiba-san I had no idea anyone was watching" the rosette flashed the boy a smile as they all turned and headed up the steps to the roof their established haunt during the lunch hour.

Not long after that they were ushered in for the rest of their lessons and released from the academy for the weekend "See you Monday" Sasuke waved scurrying off to home, maybe he could ask his brother where Shisui was in case the older Uchiha wasn't on a mission.

That way Shisui could go on a bug hunting expedition with Sakura and the Aburame's to "And I won't forget to inform my Father about what we spoke of in class" Shino nodded seriously at his friend and then marched towards his Dad upon spotting him.

Her lips curved up into a smile as she started home herself, knowing that she'd probably be alone for a couple of hours and she was right to as she had to unlock the door and sit in silence working on her homework for the better part of an hour and a half.

Until her parents finally got home "How was your day sweetie" Mebuki questioned, giving her daughter a scrutinizing stare and didn't spot any new scrapes to her relief, perhaps the bullying was finally going to stop and Sakura wouldn't get hurt anymore.

At the question the rosette turned to face her parents "Very good, Kiba one of my classmates told on Ino and the other girls in class so they had a meeting with the principle, other than that I had a lot of fun and Shino mentioned that his Father was planning an expedition for this weekend" Sakura chattered.

Causing them to laugh at her excitement "All we'll say is have fun and that you listen to Aburame-san if Shisui-san isn't there" Kizashi pat Sakura on the top of the head before sitting down in his favorite chair as she turned back to finish up her homework.

A little while later Mebuki called them in to the dining room for dinner where they sat and chatted about their day and enjoyed themselves as only a close knit family could before Sakura took a bath and dressed for bed.

Early the next morning after breakfast a knock sounded on the front door and seeing as he was already right there Kizashi was the one to answer "Shibi-san are you and Shino here to kidnap Sakura-chan for a bug hunting expedition" the pink haired male laughed.

His wife rolled her eyes "Have fun Sakura-chan, here's lunch just in case your expedition lasts past lunch" the blonde woman shook her head, hugged her daughter and handed over the four tiered lunchbox.

Which was taken in gentle hands and then sealed away in a storage scroll that Shisui had given her "All ready then Sakura-san" Shibi questioned when she adjusted her little backpack that held all the essentials for their expedition.

"Oh absolutely Shibi-san I was born ready" the pinkette flashed him a cheeky smile and Shibi coughed to hide his amused chuckle as he gently took her hand and in a swirl of kikaichu was gone to the gates so they could sign out.

Less than five minutes later to what seemed the guards eternal confusion at such an odd trio they were headed deep into the forest "Is there any kind of insect you hope to find today" the brunet asked when she pulled out her book on insects in the area.

Her little forehead creased in deliberation "Rhinoceros Beetle I think and perhaps an arachnid of some kind" Sakura answered a minute or two later and closed her book to look around and search through and under everything that she could on the hunt for her target.

Shibi just watching them in amusement "Was Shisui-san unable to come this time" the Aburame Patriarch was well aware that the Uchiha that the girl was friends with hadn't been there as he'd expected and Sakura looked up at him.

"Probably on a mission Father" Shino was the one to comment before she could open her mouth and do the same and Sakura shot him an amused smile before pulling her hand out of the hole she'd had it in to see what she'd gently captured.

Nothing of importance so she moved on to a different spot "How is the academy for you, not to hard I hope" Shibi inquired curiously, having heard that she was being bullied from his son and rumors floating around that it was going on as well.

She perked up "Good, have a bit of a bullying problem but I think Iruka-sensei is gonna put a stop to it, we'll see though" the rosette smiled brightly and shifted through the bushes and finally found her first bug target.

That was quickly caught in her little case so it could be stared at closely through the glass "It's a very nice specimen, are you going to keep this one" the brunet heir asked curiously watching as she twisted the case this way or that very gently as the beetle scurried back and forth frantically.

He should have expected it when in the next moment after looking her fill the bug was gently deposited on the ground and allowed to scurry off to get away from them "Such a strange child you are" the Aburame Patriarch chuckled under his breath.

As they headed deeper into the forest on the search for any sort of interesting insect the kids could find until it was nearly lunch time and the three of them settled on a blanket to eat the lunch that Mebuki had packed them for the expedition.

Halfway through eating they were joined by a familiar person "Finally found you" Shisui grinned grabbing up Sakura once he was certain that she wouldn't accidentally choke on her food or drink and squeeze her in a hug.

Viridian orbs lit up in happiness "Shisui-kun what are you doing here" Sakura squealed wiggling around to face the teenager and throw her arms around his neck to give him her own version of a hug that had him grinning wider.

"Been looking for you for an hour now, got back this morning from a B Rank Mission that I can't go into details on, Sasuke-chan mentioned that you were going on a bug hunting expedition so naturally I thought to come along only when I showed up you were already gone" the Uchiha sulked.

Causing the little girl to burst into a bunch of infectious giggles and squeeze him round the neck again "Either way I'm glad you were able to join us" Shibi nodded at the Jonin glad to have an extra set of experienced eyes looking out for the kids.

"Me to Aburame-sama me to" Shisui nodded back at the older man and joined them on the checkered blanket, Sakura was all to generous and soon he had a couple sandwiches and a cup of tea before him to eat with them as well.

Soon enough they were packing up and searching through the forest again "Didn't you say you wanted to find an arachnid of some sort" the Aburame Heir said suddenly eyeing what had to be the biggest spider he'd ever seen.

And that his friend was dangerously close to it "Turn your head slowly Sakura-chan and take a couple steps to the right" the ebony haired teenager instructed carefully not wanting to see her become afraid of one of the few things the girl genuinely enjoyed.

Thankfully the girl was good at listening to orders and soon she was staring wide eyed at the eight legged creature "Wow that really is a big one, I think it's a wolf spider what do you think Shibi-san" the rosette tilted her head to the side in thought.

Shibi wasn't to horrendously surprised at her knowledge and nodded in answer "Indeed you are correct Sakura-san that is one species of the wolf spider" the Aburame Patriarch explained going into a mini lecture.

Drawing his son into it as well as the children wandered towards him and sat down to listen to him absorbing the knowledge intently, Sakura even pulled out a little book and wrote down lots of little notes on the lecture.

"As much as I like Iruka-sensei that had to be my favorite lecture to date barring learning about the history of our village" Sakura announced jumping to her feet in a graceless movement when Shibi was done.

Off to the side her friend pressed his fist to his mouth to fight down the obnoxious laughter that wanted to break through "Course it was her favorite lecture it was all about insects" Shisui shook his head in amusement.

Next to him Shibi chuckled under his breath again "Perhaps I'll invite her over for other lectures sometime" Shibi mused to himself for the moment as the kids wandered away again on the hunt for any other sorts of insects.

Until it was time to start heading back before it go to late "See you Monday Sakura" Shino waved lightly once they'd signed in at the gates and Shisui had promised to take Sakura home so they didn't have to.

She waved back happily then took Shisui's outstretched hand and once home chattered about the day to her parents enthusiastically "Will she see you in the library this coming Monday" Kizashi asked before Shisui could disappear on them.

"I think so, if not tell her I'm sorry, never know when I'll get sent on another mission after all" the Uchiha said lightly eyeing the young girl fondly, she really was the most kindest, sweetest kid he'd ever met besides Itachi of course and he hoped she stayed that way and never changed.

Kizashi nodded "By the way thank you for going to keep an eye on her for us, you didn't have to after all and we do trust Shibi-san quite a bit with Sakura-chan" Mebuki added before the teenager could turn to leave.

He nodded in understanding "Nah it was a pleasure to see her having fun as all kids should and I'm glad that the bullying seems to be ending it was pure torture not doing anything" Shisui huffed to the Haruno's amusement before giving a wave and body flickering off to home.

The rest of the weekend passed by in a blur and soon Sakura found herself sitting between her only two friends so far in class again "What do you think has all the teachers in a buzz" the raven haired six year old asked.

When they were given free time to study or finish homework that they didn't complete over the weekend "No idea Sasuke, something interesting maybe" the pinkette shrugged lightly, reading over her homework to make sure she hadn't missed anything or made a mistake.

"Probably an accurate assessment, why because they don't seem to be worried about anything" the brunet heir added pushing his sunglasses back into their proper spot and leaning his head on his hand just a tiny bit bored.

It was over an hour later probably that their sensei finally showed his face in the classroom "Sorry about that, we had to finish making preparations for something" Iruka apologized, not really explaining what they were preparing for them and got started with roll-call and the lesson.

By the end of the day everyone was extremely curious "You'll find out tomorrow the surprise we have in store for you kids" their brunet haired sensei ushered them off to home, Sakura bid her friends farewell and made a dash for the library.

Avoiding the group of girls that liked to bully her unsure if she was safe or not and sprinted inside "Ah hello there Haruno-san and yes Uchiha-san is already here" the librarian greeted as five books were deposited on the counter for her to check in.

Sakura smiled wide and vanished to her favorite section "It feels like it's been forever since we last saw each other in the library Sakura-chan" indeed the Uchiha that was her best friend was there waiting for her like he usually was.

"Yeah I know, been busy with academy for me and missions for you" Sakura snickered quietly not wanting to get in trouble for being to loud, the library was her safe haven after all, where all her troubles melted away.

He gave her a fond smile "Missions are how the village gets it's income and as shinobi it's our duty to support the village and make sure it lives on for the next generations to inherit" Shisui lectured and Sakura peered up at him interest in her wide green eyes.

She was quiet for awhile as she searched the shelves looking for whatever books tickled her fancy for the week "Shisui-kun say um you had a hard decision to make between life of death even if it meant it was for the good of the village, which would you choose" the rosette questioned.

Very serious all of a sudden and Shisui was startled because he'd never thought she'd ask him that sort of thing "Well if it was for the good of the village I'd choose to die probably" the ebony haired teenager winced.

But all Sakura got was another inquisitive look on her face "Even if it's the wrong thing to do and living could be the right thing" Sakura pressed carefully and Shisui was scarily reminded of Itachi, it worried him really.

"That's a toughie Sakura-chan, if dying is the wrong choice but for the good of the village and living is the right choice but bad for the village then the only option left is to make the hardest choice, to live but lose everything you know, it'd be like dying but you'd still be alive" Shisui answered.

Wondering what was going through her head as Sakura lowered her gaze to the floor "Then one would just have to get stronger right, shinobi endure after all don't they, through the harshness of life" the pinkette finally said after several minutes of silence.

"Exactly Sakura-chan, shinobi endure no matter what their put through that's why the will of fire is so important" the Uchiha grinned glad that whatever had been bugging her was now leaving her alone as she picked out her three usual books from the shinobi section.

Then disappeared to the section on insects, had the five books checked out and hurried off, with him tailing her to make sure she reached home, he watched as she unlocked the door and vanished within before heading home to the compound for an early dinner and then bed.


	6. Foundation of Family (Part 1)

~Next Day~

Upon taking their usual seats Sakura felt the same buzz of excitement in the air that had surrounded everyone the day before and couldn't wait to find out what the teachers were planning for them, she hoped it was fun.

"Like promised I'll tell you what it is we'll be doing kids" Iruka was already there waiting for them all as he did roll-call to make sure they were all there and not skipping like some of them were fond of doing.

Ino's hand shot into the air "You've been saying that but what is it Iruka-sensei" Ino called out without waiting to be called on and slumped into her seat when she was given a very stern frown after the other day she didn't want to get into anymore trouble or she could be expelled and she certainly didn't want that.

With a sigh Iruka nodded "We've been going around talking to each and every one of your parents and for a single day the lot of us will be participating in the jobs or hobby that each family takes up" the brunet announced.

By that point some of the kids were practically jumping for joy "This is going to be weird" Sasuke commented as they each wrote their last names on slips of paper and those slips were put in a box so that their sensei could draw them out one by one.

Sakura shook her head with an amused snort, Shisui having rubbed off on her a little "Maybe for you Sasuke but I think this is going to be fun" Sakura grinned from ear to ear, excited to learn about her other classmates and do hands on work.

"Got to wonder how it is the teachers managed to talk to our parents without us knowing, why because their either here teaching us or we're with our parents so they couldn't talk privately" Shino piped in eyeing the little box warily.

He knew that his family hobby wouldn't be taken well by the rest of the girls in his class barring Sakura "Who knows Shino, they probably had lots of opportunities where we weren't around" the little Uchiha shrugged.

Making Sakura laugh softly at their antics "True, true ooh look Iruka-sensei is drawing the first name I wonder who it'll be" the rosette bounced excitedly in her seat, emerald orbs wide and hopeful that it was either of her two friends that got drawn first.

Not so lucky as the first slip drawn bore the last name Inuzuka on it "My sis runs a vet clinic and has triplet ninken that's all named Haimaru" Kiba announced as they grabbed their packs and formed a single file line to be led from the academy.

And all the way across the village to the Inuzuka Compound "So uncool I wanted to see Sasuke-kun's compound first" Ami complained from the back and Sasuke curled his lips into a disgusted frown.

Before his hand was pat gently by Sakura "Better to just ignore her, why because she's never going to leave you alone" the Aburame Heir snorted, peering around cautiously just in case, they never knew after all if they were being watched.

"Here we are class this is Tsume Inuzuka, Kiba's mother, she's the Matriarch of the Inuzuka Clan, the alpha in other words and this is who we'll be working with Hana Inuzuka, who is Kiba's older sister and a Chunin" Iruka cleared his throat garnering their attention.

When they all stopped before a scary looking woman and very large dog with an eye patch, said scary looking woman burst into raucous laughter and slapped Iruka roughly on the back in amusement at his introduction of her.

"Just call me Tsume and this here is Kuromaru my ninken like Akamaru, good luck Hana I'll see you around lunch time" Tsume gave the kids a toothy grin and with Kuromaru on her heels stalked off to take care of some minor problems.

Some kids shuddered while Kiba looked as if he'd expected that to happen "Alright like your sensei said I'm Hana, these three are the Haimaru triplets and today you'll be working with me in the Vet Clinic" Hana smiled kindly at the children.

Most of whom looked nervously at her and her ninken barring her brother and a few other children who looked more curious than anything, Iruka blew out a breath as his students traipsed into the clinic and were set to work on various jobs.

Luckily Shino, Sakura and Sasuke were paired together in a group to look after some puppies who were recovering after being sick under Hana's very watchful eyes "Ah he won't stop licking me" Sasuke squirmed as a tongue pegged him in the chin leaving behind a trail of doggy saliva.

And his only female friend bit her lip harshly to keep from laughing hysterically "That's cause he wants to play Sasuke" Sakura giggled cuddling one of the puppies herself who was nestled warmly in her arms and snoozing the morning away.

Sasuke shuddered and decided to allow it just this once before setting the puppy down on the floor to tickle his belly until he was tired out "Seems he finally settled down, why because he's sleeping" Shino commented eyeing the puppy carefully.

Holding his own who like the one Sakura was cradling had been napping from the moment they appeared until the other puppy that didn't have a person to hold him demanded attention and without even thinking about it Sakura scooped that one up to.

It was a little while later probably only thirty minutes that they had to switch to another task "Do any of you know how to wrap bandages" the brunette asked once they were before her and there were a couple smaller dogs that had sprained paws or legs.

Unsurprisingly to Sasuke and Shino, Sakura raised her hand "I do Hana-san, got a lot of practice on myself recently" the pinkette admitted sheepishly having had to wrap her own hands, knee's and elbows from all the scrapes.

"Right so just you two then, if you could very carefully wrap Pakkun-san's back leg with the bandages, watch closely you two" Hana instructed hoping she wasn't making the wrong decision as she handed the wraps to the little girl.

Who took them looking very serious in her concentration as she carefully wound the bandages around the dog's back leg "How come you called him by a suffix Hana-san" the lone Uchiha in the class asked suddenly.

And Hana looked a little surprised that he'd caught on "Because Pakkun is a ninja hound unlike our clan's ninken, he's a summons for a Jonin" the brunette explained carefully while watching the little girl like a hawk.

To her absolute shock the girl was actually halfway decent at wrapping injuries and stepped back with an accomplished smile "Your going to be one of the best medical ninja this village has ever seen since that Sannin woman, why because you already have lots of practice" the Aburame heir mumbled flushing in embarrassment.

As he realized he really did just blurt that out for everyone to hear but Sakura didn't care as she pulled him into a bone crushing hug, having no qualms about touching him and the flush turned a darker shade of red.

Before it was his and Sasuke's turn to practice wrapping injuries with the bandages until it was finally lunch time "So are all you brats having fun" the Matriarch came back in the nick of time as they were setting up outside in the grass.

Earning various wary nods "And behaving yourselves" Kuromaru decided to speak up making some of the kids jump while one of them just looked awed that he had talked to them in the first place and the last was his companion's youngest pup.

Sasuke and Shino should have expected it when Sakura's hand shot into the air "Yeah Stray what is it" Tsume saw the hand and glanced to the oddest child she'd ever seen with pink hair and green eyes, not a good combination if the brat wanted to be a shinobi.

"Um this question is more for Kuromaru-san, Tsume-sama but can all ninken talk like you" Sakura inquired, spying Akamaru out of the corner of her eye and wondered if the pup would eventually be able to speak like the ninken in front of them.

Plus she hadn't heard the Haimaru triplets speaking either and so was very curious "No brat, can't really say for sure why I speak, most ninken don't though" the scary looking black ninken with an eyepatch answered.

Glad that she'd asked all good and proper despite being a brat and Tsume was more amused than anything "Look at you unafraid and all to ask questions" the woman snorted out a laugh and plopped down on the ground right next to Ami Himekari.

Who looked more terrified than anyone had ever seen her "That's Sakura for ya Ma, always asking the weird questions and the smartest in class" her youngest pup piped in with a grin as he sat nearer to his mother.

Now that was news and Tsume focused her attention on the pink haired brat as she distributed food between her and her two friends evenly, gave her thanks for the meal and dug in with more manners than she'd ever seen a brat have.

Even Kuromaru was watching the girl intently and thanks to their highly sensitive ears they were able to pick up on the conversation the three children were having "Hey Sakura how hard do you think it is to actually become a medic anyway" Fugaku's youngest brat questioned.

Emerald orbs focused on him "From what I've heard extremely hard, why because one has to have near perfect or exactly perfect chakra control and as we haven't started working with our chakra much we don't know our control yet" the Aburame Heir commented.

Sakura nodded sagely in agreement "Cause if you don't have the necessary chakra control you could end up either not healing your patient, hurting them or even killing them accidentally" Sakura sated seriously.

Making the little Uchiha gulp "If we're ever put on a team Sakura I hope you know how to heal a person right" Sasuke grimaced knowing her dream like it was his own and hoping that she learned properly and didn't go off half-cocked.

"Agreed, why it will be beneficial to have a medic on a team to heal us of our injuries in case of accidents" Shino nodded helping himself to a little more rice since there was plenty of it, by that point their conversation had drawn more attention.

And then suddenly the large ninken of the Inuzuka Matriarch was laying next to Sakura, the two boys looked a little freaked out but the pink haired brat however eyed him curiously "Why so interested in such a complicated subject" Kuromaru rumbled out a question of his own.

Hoping that she'd answer "My dream is to be a super strong kunoichi someday just like the Legendary Sannin Lady Tsunade and also have the ability to heal my family so that's why Kuromaru-san" the pinkette announced gesturing around them.

Iruka was doubly confused about that "The Will of Fire, to see everyone as family" the little Uchiha piped in explaining for his friend who was super weird and nothing like any other girl he'd ever met in his entire life barring his Mom.

"How can you claim we're family when you hate Ami's and I's guts billboard brow" Ino scowled furiously, just what the hell did that pink haired freak think she was playing at by saying such a stupid thing as that.

Sakura narrowed her eyes "She never claimed to hate you Yamanaka why you and Himekari just assumed because your all the time bullying Sakura for a stupid reason such as her calling you out on your lies about stealing something of Sasuke's" the Aburame Heir said sharply.

Her brows were climbing higher and higher into her hairline at the conversation as Inoichi's daughter spluttered at the accusation before puffing up her cheeks and turning away from the three obviously close-knit friends.

Tsume wondered how her old teammate's antisocial son had befriended the clearly civilian girl and how the brat had gotten Fugaku's obstinate youngest son to even consider being friends with her "Can you answer me this then Stray, how did the three of you become friends" Tsume questioned.

Viridian orbs shot in her direction and Sakura went so far as to turn and face her "One of Sasuke's clan mates Shisui Uchiha took me on an outing since we were friends I met Shino and his Dad in the forest the day before we were to start academy, for Sasuke I promised to be nice" Sakura grinned flashing her friend a cheeky smile.

The boy rolled his eyes "You mean Shisui-san asked you to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn't getting into trouble, anyway despite that we really are friends" Sasuke snorted, cheeks pink in embarrassment as he crossed his arms over his chest.

In response Sakura burst into a bunch of infectious giggles "Just be glad she didn't call you Shisui-san's endearment" Shino piped in and Sasuke stared in horror because that was just wrong and he certainly didn't want to be called that by his only female friend not when his mom and Shisui did it that was already bad enough.

More laughter and Iruka was really surprised at how normal Sakura was acting outside the classroom "Tell me Sakura-chan do you enjoy being in the academy" he decided to ask wondering if she felt oppressed in the classroom to the point where she couldn't be herself.

Wide eyes met his before Sakura nodded eagerly "Oh yes Iruka-sensei I love it, every single one of your lectures I know by heart" the pinkette burst out before turning red as she admitted one of her secrets to her sensei.

Sasuke took his turn to laugh "Now, now Sakura it's not so bad, besides at least it lets you get good grades in class" the ebony haired six year old grinned trying not to laugh to much but definitely amused.

"You know Sakura you sure are weird why is that" Kiba asked looking confused at his classmate who wasn't like the other girls in class that he'd seen so far and wondered about her upbringing, were her parents just as weird.

Sakura looked to him now "My Mom and Dad said I was born different, they told me I never cried or threw temper tantrums when I was a baby, I learned how to read and write when I was three, plus I have a higher learning rate than most little kids my age" Sakura ticked off her fingers.

"That's right Sakura already knew most of what we've covered so far during academy hours thanks to reading books on the subjects at the library every week since she learned how to read" the Aburame Heir admitted knowing because she'd told him.

"Okay but can you answer me this Sakura-san, how is it you learned how to wrap bandages, surely you aren't trying to learn how to be a medic by yourself right" Hana inquired curiously having been wondering about that since earlier.

Ino looked away guiltily while Ami snorted and Sasuke took offense "Cause of Himekari and Yamanaka and their two friends, every day after academy let out they would gang up on her and push her down" Sasuke scowled at the four girls.

"And Sakura refused to tell on them so tended to her own scrapes, why because she felt the need to" Shino said still grateful of Kiba so gave him a small nod of acknowledgement in hopes the boy would understand and got one back.

Conversation died down after that and soon they were herded back into the clinic for another couple of hours before it was time to head back to the academy for the last hour "Before I let you all go" Iruka cleared his throat when there was fifteen minutes left of the day.

"I would like to thank all of you for behaving yourselves today and in a couple weeks on good behavior I'll draw another slip from the box to have another field-trip" the brunet announced hoping the kids would be behaved so he didn't have to take to long on this.

With that he released them to head home and Sakura was all to happy to skip to her house even if she was alone for a couple hours, do any homework that had been assigned which wasn't much since they'd been out the whole day and sat waiting for her parents to get home.

Though who showed up wasn't who she was expecting "Psst Sakura-chan hello" Shisui called from the foyer unsure if his little friend was home after a couple minutes she came padding down the little hallway "Ah there you are" the Uchiha smiled down at the six year old.

"Is everything okay Shisui-kun" the rosette asked watching him take off his sandals and put them to the side neatly before following her to the living room where they sat at the low table where her books were spread out since she'd only just decided to study in case of any upcoming tests.

He chuckled lightly "Just fine Sakura-chan, Sasuke-chan told me something interesting though that you called all your classmates family, even the Inuzuka Matriarch, very bold Sakura-chan" Shisui teased and Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Only cause you taught me the will of fire, you said that so I could see everyone as a brother or a sister since Mom and Dad don't want to have another kid in case he/she turns out like me" Sakura huffed not wanting to be made fun of.

Shisui held up his hands in surrender "Not making fun of you Sakura-chan and I know, I see you like family to you know Sakura-chan, the sister I always wanted but never got" the raven haired teenager scratched his cheek.

Peridot orbs lit up like fireworks and Sakura turned the shyest he'd ever seen her "May I call you Shisui-ni then, only if that's alright" the pinkette blushed four shades of red and ducked her head avoiding his gaze.

Until his hand was on her head "Course you can Sakura-chan it would make me so happy if you did" Shisui smiled down at her in that fond way before she found herself in his lap and being hugged so warmly that it made tears prick at her eyes.

Before she sniffled and buried her face in his chest hugging him as best she could "Then from this day forth I shall call you Shisui-ni, thank you very much for allowing me the honor of doing so" Sakura mumbled into his shirt just as polite as ever.

Eventually Mebuki and Kizashi did get home and Shisui had to leave, going on a mission he said and he didn't know when he'd be back this time as he gave her another hug, bid her parents and her farewell and body flickered where she had dinner and a bath before going to bed.


	7. Difference Noted

Visiting another family was put off for a couple of months due to the next slip being drawn having the last name Uzumaki "Lord Hokage has agreed to step in for him as a guardian of sorts, however the person who knows the hobby in mind is currently out of the village" Iruka told them.

And that was that "Totally sucks couldn't you just draw another slip and forget about the loser" Ino scoffed under her breath, and earned a sharp look in response from their sensei, she slumped in her seat sulking and muttering under her breath about the unfairness of the situation.

"For now, we'll have you learning how to wield shuriken, so single file line class and follow me out to the academy training grounds" their brunet sensei instructed and nearly everyone jumped up in excitement.

Sakura however looked a little pale "What's the matter Sakura" Sasuke eyed his friend worried that she wasn't feeling well, he'd never seen her sick of course and he certainly didn't want to ever in the first place.

Their mutual friend could guess what the problem was though "You've never held a shuriken have you, why because you come from a civilian family" Shino stated, not being cruel but just saying the obvious and Sakura nodded her head.

"I'm going to be terrible at it I just know I am" Sakura admitted looking lost and confused, it was the problem with being a child from a civilian family and wanting to be a ninja of the Leaf Village, the rest of the students that were from clan backgrounds had leagues of practice ahead of her.

Sasuke grimaced "Never know Sakura, you could beat even me and my family are the masters of the Shuriken jutsu" the little Uchiha burst out trying to cheer her up like she was constantly doing for him and was graced with a very small smile to his relief.

As her reluctance went away "Exactly, why because despite all this you still have talent" the Aburame Heir nodded seriously and Sakura perked up to her usual self a couple minutes later, having the courage to at least try and practice.

Until they were all handed five shuriken and she felt the cold metal weapons in her hands "Before you try your hand, remember control over strength, don't throw to hard and aim only at the targets" Iruka lectured in a warning tone.

Knowing that some of his students were likely to try and throw their weapons at their classmates "Right here we go" the lone pink haired girl in his class took a deep breath and he focused his gaze on her as she stood a standard five feet away.

Watching her classmates closely as they took up their throwing stances and shifted into one herself making him realize that she'd never trained like this before and before Iruka could offer to help her focused her attention on the target ahead of her.

And with a quick flick of her wrist sent all five shuriken flying from her hand, loud thunks signaled they'd landed on the target and he looked real quick to see how the little girl had fared, only to be moderately surprised.

One shuriken was nearly dead center of the target while the rest were in one of the outer rings "See told you that you'd be good Sakura" Sasuke grinned praising his friend as she went and collected the shuriken to try again.

"Yes, why because your different than the rest of our classmates" Shino piped in practicing himself now after making sure his friend would do alright with the sudden throwing lesson they'd been dragged into by their sensei.

Their friend proved the statement of being different to be true when in the next moment she turned and spied their sensei who was stood very near them "Is it different wielding kunai and senbon Iruka-sensei" Sakura asked interested in other sorts of weapons.

His lips quirked up "Yes Sakura-chan, kunai are heavier so you have to account for their weight when your throwing them and then the senbon needles are much lighter and you need to exert very little strength over throwing them, their also very breakable" the brunet lectured.

Remembering what the girl had blurted out a couple weeks ago during their first family visiting session, and suddenly Sasuke and Shino were listening to the lecture as well "Can you show us Iruka-sensei or is that not allowed" the lone Uchiha in his class inquired.

Interested in learning much like Sakura was as she stared at the shuriken in her hand before looking to him with wide eyes full of curiosity "Well I don't see any harm to it, wait right here you lot, I'll be back in a few minutes" Iruka nodded making his decision.

Then hurried back into class to get the packs of kunai and senbon needles he'd purposefully left behind "Here we are a kunai and a senbon needle" the brunet presented the weapons to his three curious students once he'd returned.

And the kunai was taken by the boys while the senbon needle was taken by the lone girl out of the friends "Do you mind if we try Iruka-sensei, why for curiosity sake" the Aburame Heir asked eager to try his hand with the heavier weapon, Sasuke to.

While Sakura was fascinated with the thin needle like weapon "The only difference is it's not like a sewing needle" the rosette murmured scanning the weapon intensely as Iruka gave them permission to give the different weapons a try.

Lecture flashing through her mind about the senbon needle Sakura turned and gripped it gently, facing the target again, then with a light flick of her wrist, controlling the amount of strength she put behind her throw sent the needle flying through the air to hit the bullseye.

Both of her friends inched away from her "You're a good shot it's scary" Sasuke shuddered frightened of his female friend who was scarily reminiscent of his mother, who was the mistress of the shuriken jutsu over everyone in the clan even his older brother couldn't beat their mother.

Shino nodded sagely in agreement "Switch, why because it's better to know how to wield a variety of weapons" Shino held out the kunai and carefully took the throwing needle into his own hands as Sakura grabbed the kunai to try her hand at throwing it.

Iruka shook his head when she proved to have a talent for all sorts of weapons and passed out kunai and throwing needles to other students that wished to practice with the different weapons as well until it was time to head back in and get their regular lessons underway.

Before they knew it the day was over and they were released for the weekend "Isn't that Shisui-san" the little Aburame Heir pointed out as they exited the gates of the academy to head home in opposite directions like usual.

Sasuke and Sakura looked up at the same time "Yeah it is, wonder why Shisui-san is here" the ebony haired six year old frowned in confusion and looked around but didn't spot his older brother so it was just Shisui.

And a couple minutes later they were stood before him on their own as Shino spotted his father and left with him "Sasuke-chan, Sakura-chan guess what your having a sleepover the entire weekend" Shisui clapped and the two kids shared a confused look.

"Has something happened Shisui-ni and where's the sleepover going to be" the pinkette asked, not afraid to call the older boy that in front of her friend who'd already known that she'd been given permission to do so by Shisui himself.

Shisui grinned "Sasuke-chan's of course, your parents are going off on a trip to sell some wares and asked if I could look after you and once Mikoto-sama learned she demanded to have you stay at the house with Sasuke-chan" the older Uchiha announced hefting the little girl into his arms.

While Sasuke just gripped his shirt tightly knowing that they'd be body flickering to the compound "That's fine with me it keeps Sakura from getting bullied" Sasuke scowled, even though the girls no longer pushed her down, they still called Sakura horrible names.

Just as if the thought manifested them Ino, Ami and their two friends appeared only to freeze at the sight of the teenager sporting a headband and then hurriedly scurry off to wait for another chance to get at the pink haired freak.

"Oh but what about some stuff I'll need clothes Shisui-ni, if I'm going to stay the whole weekend that is" Sakura piped in wrapping her arms around his neck carefully so she didn't accidentally choke her friend.

Earning a chuckle and a second later they were stood before her house "Go in and grab what you need Sakura-chan, Sasuke-chan and I will wait right here for you" Shisui ushered her into the house and she disappeared down the hall to do as told.

Upon returning with a pack of essentials Sakura found Sasuke staring at her house like he'd never seen a house before "Do you really live here" the second heir of the Uchiha clan asked with a frown eyeing the building and seeing how small it was.

He wondered did her family have enough money was that why they could only live in a small home "Mhm, me, my momma and daddy I know what your thinking Sasuke and for three people that's perfectly normal if your from a civilian family" the rosette explained.

Sasuke flashed her a sheepish smile and waited for her to be lifted again then they were off to the Uchiha Compound and before the main family house "Right I'll see you for dinner probably if not in the morning Sakura-chan" the older Uchiha ruffled her hair gently.

Then body flickered once again leaving the two six year old's to head into the house and politely take their sandals off, Sasuke watched his friend as she put hers neatly out of the way "Thought I heard the door, welcome to our home again Sakura-san" Itachi rounded the corner a second later.

Greeting his little brother and the girl that had befriended him, who would be staying the whole weekend in their house thanks to Shisui and his mothers interest in the little girl "Here already that was fast" Mikoto looked up when her two sons and the pink haired civilian girl shuffled into the living room.

"Yes, ah thank you very much Mrs. Uchiha for allowing me to stay here in your home while my parents are off on a trip" Sakura bowed low as was polite, by that point Sasuke was use to her general politeness towards all adults and her strangeness.

Mikoto blinked and nodded "Come on Sakura, better to get started on our homework" Sasuke sighed grabbing her by the wrist and leading the way towards the low sitting table where they sat and spread out their lesson books and worksheets to do their homework.

"I have to wonder, did Shisui teach her how to be polite like that" the eleven year old mused to himself and his mother as they wandered into the kitchen to get started on dinner, Mikoto peered down at him before shrugging.

Confused herself "No idea Itachi-chan but she's definitely not of the norm, most little girls have a thing for our clan's pretty boys, that little girl however doesn't seem interested in the least" the Matriarch crinkled her nose up in thought.

Trying to figure out the puzzle that was Sakura Haruno "Or could it be she's better at hiding it than other girls and is interested, ulterior motives perhaps" Itachi added unsure of that himself or it could be that Sakura really just wanted to be Sasuke's friend for no extra reasons.

"Possibly the only way is to ask, there go tell them that supper is ready" Mikoto smiled pleased with herself as she made up the plates and wrapped one to be eaten later when her husband eventually did make it home from working in his office all day.

A few minutes later Itachi appeared with Sasuke and Sakura shuffling after him before they all took a seat around the table and plates with piping hot food was placed before them along with a glass of tea to drink with their meal.

Sakura waited patiently until Mikoto took the first bite then gave her thanks for the meal and dug in politely "So Sakura-chan why did you become friends with Sasuke-chan" the Uchiha Matriarch got straight to questioning the little girl, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Sasuke spluttered and choked on his tea until Sakura pat him gently on the back "At first it was cause Shisui-kun asked me to keep an eye on him, then when those girls did what they did I wanted to show Sasuke that not all girls in our class were crazy like that" the pinkette admitted.

Itachi covered his mouth to keep from laughing "I should be glad that yours and Shisui-san's term of endearment didn't rub off on her as well, mother" the little six year old boy pouted because in his mind that was just wrong being called a girly suffix like that by his only female friend.

Even Mikoto was mildly amused before her expression shifted to one of seriousness as another person shuffled through the kitchen doorway, Itachi sobered up instantly "Welcome home Father" the eleven year old bowed his head.

Realizing that she was meeting Sasuke's father for the first time Sakura squared her shoulders and stood "Uchiha-sama thank you for allowing me to stay in your home for the weekend" Sakura bowed low determined to not mess up.

Onyx eyes focused on her, a harshness to them that had her squirming inwardly while outwardly she kept her head down waiting for acknowledgement from the older man "Just make sure you behave" Fugaku scoffed deigning to speak to the girl.

Her shoulders relaxed and Sakura raised her head before sitting politely at the table again "Don't think you have to worry about that Father, Sakura's a goody two-shoes after all" Sasuke sniggered and Sakura shook her head with an exasperated look in her eyes.

She didn't comment though choosing to keep silent "How was work Fugaku, everything alright" Mikoto questioned once Fugaku was seated at the table and eating with them, a rarity nowadays considering all that was going on.

Fugaku nodded not really talking as he focused more on eating for the time being "Are we going to train after this" Itachi inquired, wondering if the man was even up to it or if he was going to have Sakura join in as well.

At that Fugaku finally joined the conversation "Work was fine and yes, you to girl so make sure you ready your weapons" the brunet barked and the little girl glanced to him with wide eyes, he was about to get angry.

When his youngest piped in "Sakura doesn't have weapons of her own Father, nor does she know her chakra natures" the raven haired six year old explained for his friend who looked frustrated with herself, all because she wasn't a clan kid like everyone else.

"I can teach Sakura-chan if she'd like" the Matriarch commented with a shrug, eager to teach the girl who was very polite, it's not like she had anything other than dishes to do after dinner anyway and those could be put off for a short time.

Her husband nodded in acceptance "That's great then by the time this weekend is over you and Sasuke will be leagues ahead of your other classmates" her oldest son smiled lightly, prepared to help Sakura himself should she fail.

Sakura nodded "Probably Itachi-san or maybe just all the other girls" the pinkette giggled quietly not daring to be to loud just in case the Patriarch took offense to her laughter in his home, she got the feeling this weekend would be like no weekend she'd ever had before.

And she was right to as soon as they were done eating, her doing up the dishes that she'd used because it was the proper thing to do in someone else's home the five of them headed out back to a large training area.

Just seconds later she was stood by Sasuke with kunai in her hands to practice her throwing technique again, and after every fifteen minutes they were made to switch to a different weapon and even practice throwing with their other hand that wasn't dominant.

Until it felt like her arms were going to fall off, then she was left alone with Mikoto who handed her a slip of paper "Is this a nature sensing paper" Sakura looked at it in awe, having only read about it and now was getting to see one for real.

A little surprised "If you know that much then you should know what to do with it right Sakura-chan" Mikoto gestured for the little girl to go ahead and hoped that the girl knew how to access her chakra at the very least.

Thankfully she didn't have to worry as the paper got wet and then crumbled indicating two chakra natures that Sakura could wield, Mikoto tapped her lip in thought trying to remember any jutsu that belonged to the opposite natures of herself.

"Here I have a couple books on elemental jutsu's for all the natures" the rosette pulled out a couple books on all the chakra natures and handed them over to Mikoto, who looked relieved that the little girl was prepared for any kind of situation it seemed.

With that she flipped through the book and settled on the easiest jutsu's she could find "Start with Suiton: Bubble Jutsu and Doton: Mud wall Sakura-chan" the ebony haired woman instructed, having Sakura practice the hand signs for at least ten minutes.

Before making her attempt the jutsu's, done with their own practice the three males came to watch "You've got this in the bag Sakura" Sasuke cheered knowing that she would surprise them all and in the next moment he was right.

As she went through the hand signs slowly sure for the earth jutsu "Doton: Mud wall Jutsu" Sakura slapped her hands on the ground molding her chakra unsure if she was doing it right until a six foot high wall of earth rose.

Even Sakura looked a little shocked that she'd managed to do the jutsu so easily "Tell me Sakura-san has Shisui-san been training you" Itachi asked seriously wondering if that was the reason why the girl seemed so advanced.

"You know as well as I do Itachi-chan that it was Sakura-chan's first attempt at using a jutsu cause I had to teach her remember" Mikoto scolded and Itachi could have whacked himself as he did indeed remember that Sakura had no prior training.

"Then just good chakra control" Fugaku snorted watching as the girl practiced the water jutsu next and utterly decimated the earth wall before they all headed in and the two six year old's sat down to finish up their homework, then took baths and went to bed.

And the rest of the weekend was like that to, on Saturday Mikoto subjected Sakura and her youngest son to the shuriken jutsu by having them dodge the weapons, the little pinkette proving to be a little more flexible than Sasuke, followed by another elemental jutsu practice.

While Sunday was spent with Shisui as he'd been sent on a sudden mission the day before and got back before the weekend was completely over, when he appeared he found a laughing Sakura and a sulking Sasuke as they were taught taijutsu.

Sakura currently had Sasuke pinned down and Mikoto was thoroughly amused "Well isn't this quite the scene" Shisui chuckled and Sasuke paled looking horrified at his continued humiliation until Sakura graciously let him up.

Only for them to repeat under Mikoto's strict guidance "Hello Shisui-chan your just in time I was going to have these two practice with a tantou next, since Sakura-chan doesn't know how to wield a tantou could you show her the ropes" Mikoto flashed him a kind smile.

"Hold up your having her train to, kami Mikoto-sama she's a little kid" the teenager gaped and looked his little friend over, only finding a few scrapes here and there that had been tended to already and she looked to be happy.

That was a surprise "It's not like we're forcing her Shisui-chan, we did give Sakura-chan the option to opt out after all" the Uchiha Matriarch huffed more amused than annoyed by how much Shisui seemed to care about the little civilian girl.

"Yeah, Shisui-kun I'm fine so no worries" Sakura beamed at him and knocked Sasuke on his back again before holding him down to the ground until Mikoto called it and then a tantou was put in her hands and she was led away by Shisui.

A pouting Sasuke watched her go "She's just going to kick my ass on that to" Sasuke sulked and he was right to, the moment they started sparring in kenjutsu, Sakura knocked his tantou out of his hands five minutes into the spar.

"Ugh I can't keep up with you sometimes Sakura" the ebony haired six year old sighed as they were finally allowed to stop training and take a break to do whatever and Sakura sent him an apologetic smile.

She couldn't help it that she was different "Higher learning rate than most kids my age remember" the pinkette reminded sheepishly, Sasuke nodded in understanding and for the rest of the day they spent it running around the backyard chasing after Shisui.

Before it was back to class on Monday where Sakura went home with her parents who showed up to walk her home after being gone the whole weekend and after eating dinner went to bed, hardly able to wait for the next time she got to stay with a friend.


	8. Foundation of Family (Part 2) End

It wasn't until months later than Iruka guessed that they were finally able to continue with their one day family field trips as on a Wednesday they were rounded up and led to the Hokage Estate where it would be taking place.

"Apparently this guy that came is my Godfather" Naruto chattered excitedly eager to meet the man himself for the first time ever, Hiruzen had, had no choice but to tell him despite his old student's reluctance on the whole matter.

Nine minutes later they were crowded into a large sitting room "Right you kids I'm Jiraiya one of the Legendary Sannin and summoner of Toads from Mount Myoboku, today you'll be learning about the fundamentals of Fuinjutsu" Jiraiya introduced himself.

Sakura's eyes lit up while the rest of her classmates whispered in confusion amongst themselves "Hold up Legendary Sannin, just like that woman you admire right Sakura" Sasuke whispered as Jiraiya passed around small books, blank tags, ink-pots and brushes.

His friend nodded seriously practically vibrating in excitement "This seems like a very complicated thing to take up as a hobby" Shino frowned eyeing the odd writing in what looked to be simple squiggly lines to him.

"Oh yes Shino, very complicated, Naruto probably has no idea like the rest of us, however I found a book on the concept of Fuinjutsu once in the library so I should have a standard idea" Sakura giggled picking up the book that was set before her and flipping it open.

Almost immediately she recognized the seal-work within as the storage scroll seal, followed by several others that she could easily recognize, summoning, exploding tag, illusion tag, all of them would come in handy no doubt when they did become genin.

Jiraiya scratched his forehead and looked to the academy sensei for help "Class if you could focus on Jiraiya-sama, he'll tell you what to do" Iruka cleared his throat and all of his students did as told, lowering the books and looking to the man.

Where he stood "Right Fuinjutsu is simply put what an Uzumaki specializes in, it's complicated seals written down and bonded with chakra to make work, with Fuinjutsu you could probably create anything, so long as you know the fundamentals" the white haired man explained.

To his disappointment only a few kids, including his own gaki of a godson were paying rapt attention to him "Uh-huh but your forgetting Mister that we're still only six and don't even know what these books say" Ami Himekari scowled unhappily.

Glaring at Naruto, this was all his fault, his family name just has to have a complicated stupid looking hobby that she couldn't understand "Hey leave him alone Ami, it's not Naruto's fault, and he doesn't understand either so don't blame him" that pink haired freak butt in.

Naruto's head popped up from where he'd ducked it to stare wide eyed at one of the few girls in class that weren't nasty to him, Iruka smiled fondly at the little girl "Yeah well I'd like to see you do better by the end of today, Uzumaki better understand this stuff or you have to quit the academy for good" the purple haired girl spat.

Iruka sighed and went to intervene "Don't you know she has to stand up for herself Umino" Jiraiya shook his head, having seen the girl look over the fuinjutsu book for beginners with understanding in her gaze.

It was a wonder how she knew but if she could help his godson then who was he to complain "We'll help him to" the little Uchiha in class nodded decisively, even though he often got annoyed by the blonde to, Sakura's reputation was on the line.

"Even though we don't understand either" the Aburame Heir reminded in an exasperated tone as Naruto shuffled towards them and joined their close-knit group, shaking lightly and extremely nervous as he nearly dropped the ink-pot.

Before Sakura placed a gentle hand on his arm "No need to be nervous Naruto" Sakura smiled kindly at the boy who was a troublemaker in their class, but she saw that for what it was, he was lonely and wanted friends.

At that Naruto did calm down a little "So what's first Sakura, how exactly do we even begin to understand what all this stuff in the book means" Sasuke creased his forehead and frowned, looking through the book but not recognizing anything.

Sakura grinned "First, your calligraphy plays a large key in fuinjutsu, second these are seals all ninja should recognize and be able to use, like this one, it's the storage seal, you should know it Sasuke, Shino, Naruto you to if you've ever seen it" the rosette said.

It was like a lightbulb went off over their heads "Whoa your right, your very smart Sakura-chan you know" Naruto gaped as he slowly started recognizing some of the seals or at least a couple of them, the summoning seal was another he could faintly make out among all the squiggly lines.

Pleased that Naruto was making this easy on her, she moved onto the second step, grabbing a sheet of paper, dipping her ink brush into the ink and began carefully recreating the storage seal "Understanding and doing are two different things" Shino grimaced.

Realizing just what made fuinjutsu so hard for people and why it was a dying art "Yeah my hand hurts already and it's only been a couple minutes since I started" the ebony haired six year old complained lightly.

This sort of hobby was probably one he'd never take up "Agreed, how are you faring Naruto" the little brunet among them glanced to Naruto and found him messing up badly, apparently his calligraphy was no good in the least.

And he seemed to get that as he ducked his head "I'm terrible believe it" the blonde moaned pitifully only to have his hand pat gently in reassurance, boosting his confidence and by the time it was lunch he could recreate at least one of the seals in the book, just barely anyway.

While most of the class were left feeling confused at what it was they were even doing in the first place "Freaking show off" Ino scowled as even that stupid Naruto was allowed to join that stupid billboard brow in eating lunch with her, Sasuke and Shino.

Then when she thought it couldn't get any worse Kiba Inuzuka had to go over there and ask if he could join as well since his mom hadn't packed him a lunch that day "Thanks you're a lifesaver Sakura" Kiba gave the girl a toothy smile as he dug in to the delicious rice.

"Well that's what friends are for right" Sakura shrugged seeing them as family as well, by that point the will of fire had been so ingrained into her that it was all she thought about when she saw someone new, to see them as family.

Kiba nodded "Me to right Sakura-chan or are we not….." Naruto trailed off, stomach twisting in knots fearful of what the answer would be until he received a breathtaking smile from Sakura indicating that she saw him as a friend to.

Off to the side pouting Sasuke slumped his shoulders "Don't, you know how she is, why because Sakura is different than your average girl" Shino reminded, they couldn't keep being her only friends forever after all, she was bound to branch out and he'd known that from the beginning.

His comment earned a sigh "Yeah I know but still why the Dope and dog boy" Sasuke huffed under his breath and let his resentment go, if she wanted to be friends with them he wasn't going to stop her, he knew that he was still one of her best friends after all and family regardless of anything else.

Before they knew it the five tiered lunchbox had been devoured and the lot of them were set to practicing their seals again until there was just an hour and a half left of their academy "So billboard brow did you manage to make dumb Naruto understand" Ami snickered cruelly.

It was hard keeping his mouth shut as Jiraiya and Iruka stood off to the side, ready to intervene in the case things went south "Of course I did Ami, cause I at the very least understood what we were doing" the pinkette stated.

"Yeah, yeah one of the seals was the explosion seal and another the summoning seal and though I'm not very good at recreating them, I can at least draw them without messing up horribly" the blonde nodded presenting the seals he'd drawn.

Even though his hand hurt like hell he hadn't wanted to disappoint his friend and see her have to quit the academy just cause of him, Ami spluttered angrily and went to wipe that stupid smile off that stupid pink haired freaks face.

Only to be stopped by a firm grip around her wrist "Good job everyone, keep the books their a gift" the Toad Sage beat a hasty retreat from the house not wanting to stick around as the kids were herded back to the academy.

Ami was oddly silent as Iruka had scolded her on her behavior the whole entire way back to the academy until they were released for the rest of the day to go home, Sakura was off like a shot, having promised her parents that she'd come to their stall that day.

"See you tomorrow then" the little Uchiha grunted earning a wave before Sakura vanished from sight, Sasuke sighed before turning to the only one left "You to Shino" the raven haired boy bid his other friend farewell.

Shino nodded "Of course, why because this is the norm for us now" the Aburame Heir said, then spotted his father and hurried towards the man so they could get home and he could finish his homework before dinner then bed.

~Two Weeks Later~

Another name was drawn, this time the Yamanaka Flower Shop was their objective for the day as they went and sold flowers or tended to flowers for people with the older Yamanaka's who were nothing like their daughter.

Who liked to brag about anything and everything "How is everything in the classroom Iruka" Inoichi asked watching the kids run about, while having fun, especially the little girl their daughter had bullied ruthlessly all year so far.

"Good Ino seems to be learning her lesson somewhat about bullying people, her and Ami have drifted apart quite a bit and Sakura, well she has a thick skin as usual towards anything that happens to her" Iruka shook his head in amusement.

Inoichi was surprised at that "And the others are doing well, I think this was exactly what they needed to come together as a class" the brunet added seeing how well his students worked together, most of them anyway.

"Perhaps Iruka and maybe Ino will finally see that Sakura could be a great friend to her as well" the blonde chuckled, hoping that day came soon, because beyond that first day Sakura hadn't gone out of her way to bother Ino again.

While on the other hand his daughter had been outright vicious due to her own fault, before they knew it the day was over and they were on their way back to the academy "That was interesting" Sakura commented once they were in their seats again.

Next to her Sasuke rolled his eyes "Yeah interesting Sakura, I'd probably go crazy if I had to learn all those flowers day in and day out" Sasuke snorted quietly as he flipped open a book to read until it was time for them to leave for the weekend.

"For Sakura I don't think it'd be much of a chore, why because many of those flowers have medicinal properties and could be essential to her as part of her dream is to become a medic" Shino reminded lightly.

Sakura giggled softly and nodded while Sasuke stared at her in surprise "Exactly Shino, Sasuke and after we get let out I'm going to be visiting the library to check out some books on medicinal flowers" the rosette announced.

Determined to learn all she could before she became a genin "Knowing you Sakura, being a medic will probably come easy to you" the raven haired boy pointed out, mind flashing back to that weekend and how everything had come naturally to his friend.

"Indeed, why because you have natural talent" the brunet on her other side nodded in agreement to Sasuke's assessment that it would probably be very easy for her to be a medic and Sakura turned red in embarrassment.

Just in the nick of time Iruka released them from class and after collecting their belongings were headed from academy grounds, before Sakura could even begin to run off to home someone stepped in her way and she rammed into the person.

Rather hard as well as she hit the ground on her bottom "Are you alright Sakura-chan" Shisui chuckled from above her being the person she'd run into as his familiar hand appeared in her line of sight so she took it and let herself be hefted onto her feet.

After dusting her clothes off she looked up at her friend "No worries Shisui-ni, I'm fine, what are you doing here, Sasuke said you were going on a mission today and wouldn't be back until three days from now" Sakura frowned confused, he wasn't skipping on the mission was he.

Shisui shook his head with another chuckle "Haven't left yet, your parents told me that they'd be going off on another trip to a nearby town, Fugaku-sama said no this time so ah Aburame-sama there's something I need to speak with you about" the Uchiha spotted his target.

Then with Sakura in his arms hurried towards the man before he could leave with his son in tow "Everything alright Sakura" Shino asked when the two of them were abandoned by his Father and Shisui respectively.

His friend shrugged and glanced towards Shibi and Shisui having some idea what her friend was going to ask the Aburame Patriarch "My apologies I was intending on taking Shino to the bug habitat" Shibi grimaced behind his coat collar.

Not that he minded having the little girl along, the habitat was dangerous for any none Aburame right now and he wouldn't have anything happen to Sakura "No it's okay, maybe I could ask Shikaku-sama" Shisui mused.

Because there was absolutely no way he was going to leave Sakura to fend for herself, Shibi nodded in apology then gestured at Shino before the two Aburame's were gone "If push comes to shove I can just go stay with my next door neighbor Shisui-ni" the pinkette piped in.

Knowing that he was worried about her and wanting to make things easy on him to, Shisui flashed her a kind smile "Oh I just remembered I wanted to go to the library" Sakura jerked nearly toppling out of Shisui's arms.

Thanks to quick reflexes though she didn't almost eat dirt "Very well just please wait for me there Sakura-chan" the ebony haired teen sighed and set her on her feet, where Sakura nodded seriously then sped off to the library.

Leaving him to hurry to the Nara Compound "Shisui what brings you here" Shikaku looked up from where he was playing a game of shogi with his son while Yoshino was intermittently reading a book or watching the game progress.

"I have a favor to ask of you Shikaku-sama, see there's this little girl I know that's without a sitter for the whole weekend and I was wondering if you could watch her, she'll be no trouble I promise" Shisui requested hopefully.

He was a few seconds away from getting on his knee's to beg when Shikaku nodded "Your talking about Sakura aren't you, troublesome" Shikamaru piped in suddenly and his father raised his brow in response.

While Shisui laughed and cleared his throat "Sakura you don't mean the Sakura that Ino-chan and her friends have been bullying do you Shikamaru-kun" Yoshino inquired a glint in her dark eyes that made her husband wary.

As Shisui and her son nodded in answer to her question, Shikaku blew out a breath relenting to the demand in his wife's eyes "The girl can stay Shisui just make sure she comes prepared" the Nara Patriarch agreed to the request.

Shikamaru groaned softly, "Better to not let Ino know or she'll for sure blow a gasket" the Nara Heir shook his head with a disgusted snort, not even sure why Ino was all the time getting mad at Sakura anyway cause Ino wouldn't tell him.

"Hurry now Shisui-san don't leave that little girl alone for much longer" the Nara Matriarch waved the teenager off and without a sound or wisp of smoke body flickered to the library where Sakura was waiting for him.

Clutching a few new books in her arms "To home to pack a bag right" the little rosette smiled softly and Shisui nodded hefting her into his arms where he body flickered across the village to the her house and she scurried in to pack a bag for only the second time.

Then when she was done she found herself in another compound "Just knock on the door Sakura-chan, see you in a few days" the Uchiha ushered her towards the door, Sakura nodded holding tightly to the books and squared her shoulders.

Marching towards the door determinedly Shisui did his best not to laugh as he hurried off to start his mission while Sakura did as told and knocked on the door, it was opened a few minutes later revealing one of her classmates "Come in Sakura, take off your shoes as well" Shikamaru said.

Looking bored as usual "Here already that was rather fast" Yoshino commented when her son and the girl who must be Sakura shuffled into the living room, the little girl carrying two packs and three books to her surprise.

"I didn't want to keep Shisui-kun from his mission any longer than I had to so hurried up, also thank you very much for allowing me to stay in your home Nara-sama, Mrs. Nara" Sakura bowed low and Shikamaru stared at her as if he'd never seen her before.

She was starting to get nervous when Shikamaru's dad started chuckling "No need to be so formal, just call me Shikaku or whatever" Shikaku waved his hand watching her subtly as she sat politely at the low table and pulled out her lesson books to get started on her homework.

He was rather surprised at that because his own son wouldn't even do his homework on a good day and here was a little girl from a civilian family doing her homework with intent to get it all done "Tell me Sakura-chan do you like any kind of sweet" the brown haired woman asked.

And Sakura looked up at her "Anmitsu the matcha kind that's my favorite but I'll eat anything cause my Mom and Dad didn't raise me to be picky about food Mrs. Nara" the rosette announced in a polite tone.

There went Shikamaru giving her a weird look again "Okay just how is it that you pissed Ino off when your like that cause I'm really curious now" the only other kid there sighed tired of wondering and since she was right in front of him decided to ask.

"I think she's just upset that I called her out on stealing Sasuke's pencil back on the first day in front of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka, I don't condone anyone stealing someone else's belongings for a reason as having a crush on them, it wasn't right" Sakura admitted.

Her morals weren't something she'd ever back down on "How is it you became friends with Shisui Uchiha when your not part of the Uchiha clan, to the point he'd actively go out of his way to find you somewhere to stay while your parents are gone" the Nara Patriarch questioned.

"Back when I was five, I met him in the library and we met there every week or other week if he was off on a mission and became very good friends, we've done lots of things together and my Mom and Dad trust him a lot" the pinkette answered as was proper of her.

Just then Shikamaru clutched his head as if he was in agony "Ugh I can't keep up with you, your to troublesome" Shikamaru groaned and Sakura took her turn to give him a weird look but shrug lightly and focus her attention on her homework again.

Until she was interrupted again fifteen minutes later as Shikamaru's mom came back with matcha anmitsu for her and the rest of them "Lots of things like what Sakura-chan, does he train you, Shikamaru tells me your rather talented" Yoshino inquired.

"Not exactly, but I did stay once with Sasuke and his family, they taught me some things, but beyond that and teaching me how to wield a tantou, Shisui-kun hasn't taught me anything, though he does take me on adventures outside the village sometimes" Sakura smiled brightly.

Finishing her homework first before giving her thanks for the sweet and digging in with delight and manners that had been instilled in her "Heard some rumors do you actually call him Ni-san" Shikaku piped in wanting to know and having been curious for awhile.

To bad for him they weren't just rumors when Sakura lowered her spoon and gave him a happy nod "Mhm Shisui-kun gave me strict permission to call him that, since I don't have any siblings of my own, he told me to think of everyone as family" the rosette chattered.

Emerald orbs bright and full of life, filled with the will of fire that had also been instilled in her by the very person they were talking about, so deeply ingrained into her that it was unlikely that she could ever go back to the way she was before meeting Shisui.

"Yet around us you don't call him that why is that Sakura-chan" the older woman asked kindly curious about what the girl would say next as it would no doubt prove very interesting and she was right to as the little girl perked up.

And turned to face her "Cause I know it might make some people uncomfortable, Sasuke doesn't mind but if I were to go around calling him Shisui-ni in front of other Uchiha like Uchiha-sama, then their likely to get mad" Sakura said seriously.

Shikamaru shook his head "Moving on do you like shogi or have you not played it before" the Nara Heir tried to direct the conversation to a safer topic hopefully because he couldn't keep up with the previous subject anymore.

Fortunately for him it did seem like Sakura knew what he was talking about "Read the rules once but I've never played, always wanted to try though oh but first Mrs. Nara may I wash these dishes" the pinkette grinned polishing off her sweet and looking up at the Nara Matriarch.

Completely lost by that point Yoshino led her into the kitchen and pulled out a stepping stool so that she could reach the sink, then wash and dry the dishes she'd used before they were put away and by the time they returned to the living room Shikamaru had set up his shogi board for them to play.

"Just be careful and try not to get to frustrated if you lose, beside myself Shikamaru is pretty good at shogi" the Nara Patriarch warned moving to lay down on the couch while Yoshino returned to the kitchen to get started on dinner.

While the kids started their first game of shogi, Sakura proved to be a tricky opponent when fifteen minutes later Shikamaru found himself boxed in, but tying with Sakura "Wait what, how the heck did you do that" Shikamaru gaped eyes flying across the board.

Looking over each and every one of his pieces wondering where he'd made a mistake "Don't know but does that mean we both lose Shikamaru" Sakura tilted her head to the side curiously unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

And definitely not wanting her classmate to be mad at her for beating him at one of the things he apparently did best "That's right, maybe we should go a round one of these times" Shikaku chuckled from the couch seeing his son's dumbfounded expression.

If the girl could make that sort of look on his son's face then he knew Sakura would be a good friend to Shikamaru for the rest of their days to the end of time literally she was that loyal he could feel it deep in his soul.

That didn't deter Shikamaru any as they started up another game once all the pieces had been returned to their starting positions, only to end up tying yet again to Shikamaru's absolute frustration while Sakura became nervous.

Right in the nick of time Shikamaru's mother appeared "Dinner's ready no more playing shogi for the night because after will be bath and then bed time" Yoshino put her hands on her hips and said all that in a firm tone of voice that had both children scrambling to put away the shogi board.

Before following her into the dining room where dinner was already plated up for them, Sakura did as proper and waited for the Nara Family to take their first bites then after giving her thanks for the meal dug in with manners.

Until she was to full to eat another bite, her plate was mostly devoured and to Yoshino's surprise did up the dishes she'd used by herself took her bath without complaint already drowsy with sleepiness at that point dressed for sleep and crawled into a guest room bed for some shut eye.

When Sakura woke up Saturday morning it was to sunlight streaming through the curtains and Yoshino standing over her ready to shake her awake "Well then if your up time for breakfast" the Nara Matriarch said sternly.

As the little girl yawned and nodded quietly before getting dressed in proper day clothes, then folded up her sleep clothes and put them in her backpack for sleepovers and headed from the room carefully finding her way to the living room without help.

"Shikamaru's gone to play with Choji so your stuck with us for the day" the raven haired Jonin grunted as she took a seat at the table for a slightly late breakfast, it was a surprise Yoshino had let the girl sleep as long as she had.

Even though it was still rather early "That's okay, I still had a little bit of homework to do then I'll probably just read my new books quietly on the couch so I'm not in your way Nara-sama" the pinkette admitted forgetting about what the man had told her and remaining polite despite that.

Wondering how the kid had turned out to be so well-mannered the two adults decided to question her "Did Shisui-san teach you how to be polite like that in front of Clan leaders and such" Yoshino questioned carefully.

Not wanting to upset the girl "My Mom and Dad, they said I was different the moment I was born so raised me accordingly to always be polite to anyone no matter who it was" Sakura quipped lightly with a smile.

Thinking fondly of her parents no doubt as her eyes got a faraway look in them while she ate "How are your studies in the academy" Shikaku asked suddenly before she could drift away from them completely.

Already proving to be deep in thought when Sakura jumped a little at the sudden question "Ah um…according to my last report card I've got straight A plus's in all my classes, even the physical portion" the pinkette stammered for a second.

Trying to remember her grades, rattling them off when she did so she didn't leave him hanging on his question "Well no wonder you could tie with my son" the Nara Patriarch chuckled amused, this girl might turn out to be smarter than Shikamaru at this rate by the time they were genin.

Sakura blushed and ducked her head sheepishly as she finished eating then washed the dishes she'd used "You know Sakura-chan you don't have to do that right" the brunette woman said gently not wanting the girl to feel as if she had to be as formal as she had been so far.

"I know but I want to cause it's only polite since you're both allowing me to stay here in your home I have to take responsibility for myself" Sakura responded in a confident tone to their amusement before heading into the living room.

By the time the two of them got to the living room themselves Sakura had already finished what was left of her homework and was sitting quietly on the couch holding a book on medicinal flowers "Any reason your reading such a complicated book" Shikaku inquired.

And the little girl nodded "Learning to be a medic someday maybe after I become a genin" the rosette admitted glancing up from her book for a brief moment to answer him then returning to reading to his exasperation.

This was one little kid that had even him baffled "That's a great goal Sakura-chan do you have someone you like perhaps Sasuke-san, Shikamaru tells me you two are friends after all" Yoshino pressed wondering if the girl had a crush.

But to her surprise Sakura shook her head "Sasuke and I are just friends, and I don't think I have a crush, to young to even think about such things" Sakura said with such a straight face that Shikaku had to fight down the laughter that wanted to burst forth suddenly.

Questioning done they decided to leave the girl to her reading and around dinner time Shikamaru returned from playing with Choji the whole day to eat supper, take another bath and then go to bed again until it was finally Monday where they headed to the academy together.


	9. Eyes Wide Open & the Massacre

Before they knew it all the family visits were done and over with, each one being unique and different to each family, and Sakura loved each one of them especially the visits to the Nara, Akimichi and Aburame households.

For shogi, cooking and bug hunting, she also couldn't forget the visit to the Hyuga Compound where they studied chakra points intensively, her own family visit had been chalk full of adventures with her parents leading the ropes.

The last one though the visit to Sasuke's family however had her all mixed up inside "Your thinking to hard again Sakura" Sasuke, who was still seven unlike her and Shino who were eight now and nearly done with their second year at the academy.

"Ah sorry can't help it sometimes Sasuke" Sakura apologized, glancing to the boy with a frown, how could he be so oblivious to the treatment of his family or fellow clan members, he was supposed to be a clan heir wasn't he.

She knew that if she had a clan and they were being treated that way by civilians and some other shinobi in the village she would do her best to put a stop to it, there was also the fact that Fugaku had gotten grumpier and grumpier over the last year.

Just as she was delving deep into her thoughts again Iruka slipped into the classroom and the brunet on her left nudged her gently in the side with his elbow "Iruka-sensei is here, why because it's time for our lessons" Shino whispered.

Wondering what was bothering his friend so much lately that it drew her into a world of her own, there she went again drifting away from him and Sasuke as her eyes took on a faraway look, already leagues ahead of them in class but still paying attention somehow.

Copying down copious amounts of notes like usual for her to study later in the library probably, today was a Monday which mean seeing Shisui most likely, the four of them, him, Sakura, Shisui and his father had gone on many bug hunting adventures lately.

It was almost like Shisui was desperate to spend as much time with Sakura as he could, like he feared something happening and didn't want to leave anything left undone or unsaid between the two of them, it was even more worrisome than wherever Sakura's thoughts took her sometimes.

He sighed doing his best to listen to the lecture being given to them by Iruka until it was lunch time "Can I join you guys today" Naruto jumped to Sakura's side when she was pulling out the four tiered lunch box from her cubby.

The smile he got was radiant as Sakura nodded "Course you can Naruto and your always welcome any day of the week to" the pinkette said in an upbeat tone forcing herself to put her concerns to the back burner for the time being and have fun with her friends.

Somehow by the time they got to the roof, Shikamaru and Kiba were up there to, joining her, Shino and Sasuke on the checkered blanket her mom always packed and partaking of her lunch "Hope you don't mind, Ma forgot to pack me lunch again" Kiba laughed sheepishly.

"Like Sakura said you guys are always welcome to join us" the still seven year old Uchiha shrugged lightly use to having more people eat lunch with them now since it was a regular occurrence despite his initial reluctance to add more people to their groups.

Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto had grown on him and now he couldn't see himself eating with just Sakura and Shino anymore, those three had to be with them to feel comfortable "Brought my Shogi board if you'd like to go a round" Shikamaru offered.

When they'd eaten their fill with still plenty of time left in their lunch hour to do as they pleased, Sakura perked up while Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba groaned remembering how badly they sucked at the game in question.

Sakura merely laughed at them as Shikamaru set up the board and it's pieces for them to play "Ugh don't know how you even understand that complicated game in the first place believe it" the lone blonde in the group grimaced.

Eyeing the board and despite having the rules explained to him repeatedly still didn't understand in the least how to play the game "Don't worry Naruto, I don't get it either" the Inuzuka Heir watching the duo start up the first game.

"How many times is it now, why because I'm curious" the Aburame Heir questioned when eight minutes later Shikamaru and Sakura tied yet again to Shikamaru's absolute frustration because out of all his classmates Sakura was the only one he couldn't beat no matter how many times they played.

Shikamaru shrugged "To troublesome to even remember now how many times that is" the Nara Heir sighed trying to figure out how it is he managed to tie every single time with Sakura no matter what he did or what kind of defense he used on the board.

And what was even more baffling Sakura didn't understand how she did it either and their parents got a huge kick out of it whenever the duo came together to play shogi on the weekends at either the Haruno house or Nara Compound.

The others just watching as the two of them played two more games of shogi before it was time to head in and then finally they were released for the day "Guess I'll see you tomorrow" Sasuke grumbled out, knowing that he was going to be put through hellish training that day.

His few friends waved "Tomorrow, why because we have class again" Shino nodded spotting his own father and hurrying towards the man leaving Sakura alone with Shikamaru, Kiba and Naruto, until the lone blonde sighed.

"Well I have to get home see you Sakura-chan" Naruto waved as exuberantly as possible, wishing he had family like everyone else in his class, cause after that one day he hadn't seen his godfather again, it really wasn't fair to be honest.

The three remaining watched him trudge off "Seriously what is everyone's problem with him anyway, besides being a little goofy, Naruto's a perfectly normal kid" Sakura frowned seeing some adults glaring at the boy.

It made her itch to do something "Normal by our standards or your standards" Shikamaru snorted waiting patiently for his Father to appear, Sakura shot him a look that had him shrugging lazily before moving forward to walk home.

Leaving her alone with Kiba, who disappeared in the next moment "Have fun in the library" Kiba teased speeding towards his mother, on her own now Sakura walked leisurely to the library in hopes that her friend would be there.

And to her relief Shisui was, waiting in their normal spot with that familiar kind smile of his "There you are Sakura-chan did you wait for all your friends to go home before coming here first" Shisui teased lightly.

Putting his worries on the back burner for the time being as he greeted the eight year old with a hug "Pretty much Shisui-ni, though I wish I could do something for Naruto" the rosette admitted, figuring that it was lonely to go home to an empty house.

Shisui bit his lip "Cause he's family right, the will of fire, don't ever forget that okay Sakura-chan" the Uchiha said in a determined tone of voice trying not to break down and tell her the truth that he could be her enemy if things didn't get better soon.

"Everything okay Shisui-ni, you've been acting pretty weird lately does it have anything to do with your clan, have people been treating you guys even worse" Sakura looked up at him with wide innocent green eyes hearing the desperation in his voice and couldn't help but ask in worry for her friends.

Jaw hanging slightly agape in shock that she'd seen the Uchiha's treatment by the general population of the Leaf Village, he had to squash the urge to use his Sharingan on the girl and wipe his entire existence out of her mind right then and there.

But as much as he wished to do that he knew he couldn't "No Sakura-chan nothing like that, just got a big mission coming up soon and I don't know when I'll be back" Shisui laughed her fears off with a great amount of struggle, not wanting to worry her anymore than she'd already worried obviously.

Relieved to hear that and understanding because shinobi got sent on long missions sometimes she let her own worries go for the time being "Make sure you take care of yourself then Shisui-ni" the pinkette said with a smile.

Thankful that Sakura wasn't that observant yet to notice the lie, Shisui relaxed slightly "So how have classes been, is Ino still picking on you what about that other girl Ami" the ebony haired teenager questioned to keep the conversation flowing.

Immediately Sakura grinned "Great Shisui-ni, I'm the best in class after all and those two have been leaving me alone lately, I wonder if they finally got the hint" Sakura giggled just happy to spend all the time in the world with Shisui that she could.

Family was important and so were bonds as he'd taught her, her answer earned a chuckle and her hair ruffled "That's great Sakura-chan, by the way thank you for keeping an eye on Sasuke-chan for me so far" Shisui chuckled.

Amused by the little girl he'd known since she was five, only three years how the time had flown by "It was nothing Shisui-ni and Sasuke has really become like my best friend" the fuscia haired eight year old admitted brightly.

"Oh and what about Shino, how do you consider him" the Uchiha asked watching as she picked through the books to see if there was anything new on the shelves that she hadn't read, honestly how that girl could devour books was a mystery to him.

At the question she tilted her head to the side clearly thinking "My best friend to of course, say Shisui-ni um I know it's not standard or anything but one of these days could you teach me the body flicker" Sakura requested shyly.

"Course I can Sakura-chan, maybe this weekend even so long as your parents don't go off on another trip" Shisui offered unable to stop himself from thinking of Sakura as one of the most adorable kids he'd ever met.

She was so sweet and bubbly it was really cute "Yay I can't wait, I promise I won't let you down Shisui-ni" the pinkette burst into a round of hushed excited cheering because she didn't want to be thrown out of the library for being to loud.

Her friend was merely amused "I know you Sakura-chan, out of all you kids your the one that's going to go far and accomplish your goals" the ebony haired teenager chuckled softly grabbing the books she pointed to and handed them down to her.

Until the two of them moved onto the second most visited section of the library that Sakura liked to frequent "Guess I'll see you this Saturday hopefully" Sakura clutched her books tightly in her arms once she'd picked out two new insect books.

"Definitely Sakura-chan you can count on it" Shisui ruffled her hair one last time then body flickered leaving Sakura to head to the counter and have her books checked out before trekking the path home to her house.

Where she found her parents home and waiting for her "How was the academy today, still friends with Shino and Sasuke, how's Shisui-san doing" Mebuki asked, curious because it had been a long while that they'd had a chance to really talk to their daughter.

"It was great and yes Mom I'm still friends with Shino and Sasuke, Shisui-san is doing well, he promised to teach me the ropes to body flicker this weekend" the rosette admitted in a hopeful tone that they wouldn't be going off on one of their trips.

Mebuki smiled "No need to worry Sakura-chan, we'll be home this weekend so long as you promise to listen to everything he tells you, you can do whatever you like" Kizashi chuckled glad that she was branching out and learning new things.

A wide happy smile split across her face as Sakura plopped down at the low table to pull out her books and start on her homework "What about those other three boys, Naruto, Shikamaru and Kiba do you hang out with them any" the blonde woman prodded lightly.

"Just today we ate lunch together and you know I regularly play shogi with Shikamaru, I help Naruto with his fuinjutsu sometimes whenever he asks to learn more, but I don't think I've really hung out with Kiba like I have with everyone else" Sakura frowned.

Realizing the truth in that statement and resolved herself to find something she and Kiba could do together "Promise me that one of these days you'll try to make a female friend" the pink haired male sighed in exasperation.

At this rate his little girl would only have male friends and that bothered him more than he liked to admit, all those boys could take an interest in his sweet little Sakura-chan, he shook his head trying to get rid of those horrible thoughts.

While his wife stared at him in amusement already knowing what was going through his head the moment he'd said that "Even if all she has is male friends Kizashi at least their good to her" Mebuki snorted a laugh.

Earning a sulk "But Mebuki-chan I don't want them getting any idea's in their heads about Sakura-chan" Kizashi pouted, Sakura completely oblivious to their conversation as she was absorbed in her homework.

His wife rolled her vibrant green eyes at him and didn't say anything more on the topic before eventually she stood "I'm going to get started on dinner" the blonde announced only then did her daughter focus on her.

"May I help please Momma, I really want to learn more about cooking" Sakura looked at her mother hopefully until the woman nodded "Yes thank you very much Momma" the pinkette popped up from the floor and followed Mebuki into the kitchen to get started on supper.

Leaving behind the only male in the family "Honestly I wonder what's gotten into her recently" Kizashi shook his head, having noticed her strangeness lately, well she'd been stranger than usual and he worried something was going on.

Though he just didn't realize that his daughter merely wanted to learn everything she could before she became a genin so that she wasn't behind the rest of her classmates who were all clan children unlike her being from a civilian family.

Forty minutes later he was called into the kitchen where there was a delicious spread of food on the table, his wife and daughter already seated and just waiting for him, where they gave their thanks for the meal and dug in.

Before Sakura returned to finishing up her homework and once she was done with that pulled out one of her new books to read until bath time, where she drew her own bath, dressed for bed and then finally went to sleep after a long day.

Just four days later she was meeting Shisui on the training grounds "Okay Sakura-chan the first thing you should know about the body flicker technique is that it allows you to move at a high speed to short or long distances" Shisui lectured.

Sakura sitting on a rock listening to him with rapt attention "I remember that from the book I read" Sakura nodded absorbing the knowledge like a sponge it was one of her redeeming qualities that allowed her to learn at a higher rate than normal children.

This earned a smile "Right to execute the body flicker you have to use the tiger hand sign and focus on where you want to go, since you've built up a small reserve of chakra you should be able to go from there to there" the Uchiha pointed.

Making the hand sign necessary to execute the jutsu that he was teaching her, Sakura eyed the distance he'd evaluated for her then hopped up from her rock "Guess I aught to give it a try then" the rosette took a deep breath.

Remembering to mold her chakra in conjunction with performing hand signs then in a light puff of smoke was gone thinking of the spot she wanted to appear at only to land face first in the dirt "Nicely done Sakura and don't worry you'll get use to it" Shisui praised.

Not to surprised that she'd managed it on the first try "If you say so" Sakura huffed spitting out dirt and grass that she'd practically eaten on her first round of practicing the body flicker technique, it was bad enough that she'd nearly inhaled the smoke to.

Shisui laughed harder at the sulking that she was doing "Since you've managed that much I thought I would teach you how to incorporate your own item into the mix, these cherry blossom petals for instance" the ebony haired teenager held out the extra thing he'd gotten.

And the girl perked up immediately "So there is a way to get rid of the smoke then" the pinkette asked wondering how she was going to incorporate the petals into the technique, it sounded kind of complicated to be honest.

"Yes, though I'm most renowned for it's use as I can use the technique without the smoke and don't worry this part is pretty easy, you've already done the hard part after all" Shisui explained helping her practice adding the petals into the mix.

Until soon enough she was popping short distances around the training grounds in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Is there any other ways to help me build up my chakra reserves than using jutsu's" Sakura inquired.

Once she'd worn herself out and feeling drained of chakra "Meditation sink into your consciousness and find your core, connect to it that will help you regain some chakra to in a pinch" the Uchiha instructed.

Thoroughly amused as she sat with her legs crossed to meditate for a bit until she got bored of that "Can we just sit here and watch the sky for a little while" the rosette asked feeling tired now from all the practice she'd done in an hour.

He was all to happy to accommodate her request as they lay on the ground side by side staring at the sky and watching the clouds roll by at a slow pace before he realized it Sakura's breathing had evened out and he was watching her sleep instead.

Not to long after that Sakura woke up from her impromptu nap so Shisui took her home to spend the rest of the weekend with her parents the family that would always be there for her and would never betray her as he walked away in determination.

A few months later after Sasuke had turned eight and they were just starting their third year in the academy Sakura was approached by a familiar person that she hadn't seen for a good long while "Itachi-san what are you doing here" Sakura frowned.

Usually Shisui was the only one to meet her in the library, but he'd been gone on a mission for a couple weeks now at least that was the official excuse given to her and not only that but Itachi had Sasuke to worry about.

Itachi gave her a faint smile "This is unusual to you I know, but I came to ask a favor of you Sakura-san in regards to Sasuke-otouto" Itachi bent until he was eye level with the young girl that Shisui had adored to the point of driving them all insane.

She tilted her head to the side "Okay what's the favor" the pinkette relented to his pleading gaze, it was the same look that Shisui had started giving her before he'd went off on that big mission he'd told her about.

Relieved that she wasn't refusing him Itachi smiled again "Could you hang out with Otouto after class lets out and keep him from the compound for awhile tomorrow" the ebony haired thirteen year old requested carefully hoping that she wouldn't ask questions.

And thankfully she didn't "Well sure I can Itachi-san because Sasuke's one of my best friends and practically family by this point" Sakura beamed brightly at the teenager and got her hair ruffled like she was use to.

The real shocker came next as the Uchiha bent "Thank you Sakura-san" Itachi murmured awkwardly kissing her forehead in weird brotherly affection, then straighten and walk away, Sakura watched him go with a frown before picking out her usual books to read and heading home.

But like she'd promised the next day after academy let out and before Sasuke could rush off she grabbed his hand "Want to hang out today for awhile maybe even go to the training grounds" the pinkette rushed out.

Sasuke gave her a weird look before shrugging "Sure, maybe you could help me with some things I'm struggling on, like senbon needles I just can get my grip right still" Sasuke relented to her request thinking nothing of it as she was his friend.

Glad that the boy hadn't kicked up a fuss the two of them traipsed off to the training grounds like she'd told her parents she might be doing to train some "Alright Sasuke show me how you hold your throwing needles" Sakura asked.

He grabbed one from his weapons pouch only to have it practically break "See sometimes I can pull it out, then other times they break instantly on me" the raven haired boy pouted upset that he could get the weapon down.

When Sakura was practically an expert on the throwing needles by that point as she practiced with them the most "Because you get impatient Sasuke, try it again, do it slowly" the rosette instructed lightly watching with keen eyes.

As Sasuke did as she told him and managed to pull one of the breakable weapons from his pouch without breaking it "I did it yes now time to practice throwing it, do I apply the same concept" Sasuke frowned eyeing the weapon warily.

Until Sakura came to stand at his side, pulling out her own and this time it was his turn to watch as she took up her throwing stance gripping the throwing needle carefully, not to tight and not to loose then with a quick flick of her wrist throw her weapon to hit dead center.

The throwing needles were the only ones she could get a perfect bullseye on every single time no matter how she threw the weapon "Just like that Sasuke and don't rush yourself" Sakura giggled lightly, Sasuke took a deep breath and faced the target himself this time.

Before letting his throwing needles loose from his hand, one broke while the rest stuck in the wood of the target the outer most ring to be exact and Sasuke groaned frustrated that he couldn't get his aim right even after working tirelessly to hone the skill.

Accuracy with weapons were definitely not his forte to say the least but Sakura pat him encouragingly on the back to keep him practicing until his arms grew tired from repeatedly throwing weapons at a target.

It had been an hour by that point since they'd gotten out of the academy but he wasn't quite ready to go home "Do you want to practice some jutsu's with me" the little Uchiha inquired, knowing that his friend could do limited jutsu's.

She nodded to his relief because he didn't want to be the only one practicing "Luckily I found this the other day at a bookstore, it has some awesome jutsu's I've wanted to try lately" the pinkette grinned pulling out one of her personal books and cracking it open for the first time.

Where Sasuke sat next to her so they could read from it together for almost twenty minutes, oohing and awing over the jutsu's detailed within "I think that one sounds interesting" Sasuke pointed out one, the phoenix flower jutsu.

"Yeah if you have fire nature, anyway we should start practicing before someone shows up to kick us off the field" Sakura made her own choices and the two of them went to opposite sides of the field to practice their elemental jutsu's.

Practically exhausting themselves of chakra before Sakura suggested they meditate for a little while, she was doubly grateful for Shisui when after thirty minutes of meditating some of her chakra did come back so she wasn't left feeling completely exhausted.

By then the sky was dark and Sasuke knew he should start heading home "Anyway I really should probably get going before Mother gets mad but thanks for hanging out with me Sakura" the raven haired boy said as he dusted off his shorts from any dirt that had got on them.

Heart jolting Sakura bit her lip as what Itachi had requested popped into her mind along with a bad feeling churning in her stomach "Ho..How about you stay the night Sasuke, I've got a bad feeling" the fuscia haired girl burst out when he started trudging from the training grounds.

"As much as I'd like to Sakura, if I did that without asking Mother and Father are sure to be very angry with me and you know how strict they are" Sasuke reminded wondering what had gotten into his friend all of a sudden.

When she looked around fearfully before squaring her shoulders "We go together then" Sakura announced determinedly and Sasuke shrugged as they started towards his clan compound that was clear across the village.

Right away Sakura knew something was wrong when they came upon the gates and found them guard-less where anyone could walk in, Sasuke however was completely oblivious as that bad feeling from before increased.

It was practically twisting her insides into knots as they walked through the gates and down the darkened streets of the Uchiha Compound, all was still and there was an odd smell in the air that had her nearly gagging from it's overwhelming scent.

"Are you okay Sakura" the raven haired boy asked when she covered her mouth looking sick to her stomach, then before he could hand her a canteen of water Sakura made a mad dash for a trash can to vomit inside it.

Then trudge back towards him "Somethings not right Sasuke lets hurry to your house okay" the pinkette still looked ill and so they picked up the pace and made it to the main family house in record time unknowing of the horror they were about to witness as they headed inside.

Sakura immediately regretted letting Sasuke come here as they entered the living room "Ni-san" Sasuke choked out seeing his beloved older brother standing over their parents dead bodies wielding a bloodied tantou in his hands.

The thirteen year old looked at them with cold ebony eyes "Foolish little brother" Itachi shook his head pulling out a kunai and with deadly aim threw the weapon intent to kill clear but the little girl was perceptive as she lunged.

Knocking Sasuke to the floor "How could you Itachi-san I trusted you…I thought that maybe you were planning a surprise for Sasuke that's why I went along with your favor request" Sakura cried holding Sasuke down on the floor.

Even as he laid limply in her grip to numb from the shock of what he'd just witnessed to comprehend anything for the moment "Didn't Shisui ever teach you to not be so naive" the thirteen year old said in a harsh cold tone holding the tantou out.

Making the young girl flinch until she went as pale as a ghost in realization "Shisui-kun didn't go on a mission did he you killed him didn't you" the pinkette screamed as tears poured down her cheeks while she felt as if her whole heart was breaking.

"To test my strength against the whole clan, I'm rather disappointed actually the great Uchiha Clan nothing but a sham" Itachi scoffed cruelly and padded forward, Sakura went rigid then with brute strength yanked Sasuke up after her as they retreated.

Itachi was to fast for her though and soon she was laying on her side after being thrown across the room her whole body hurt after being slammed into the wall "No don't please Itachi-san don't take Sasuke away to" Sakura cried reaching out towards Sasuke in hopes that he would snap out of his stupor.

Almost as if he could hear the anguish in her voice Sasuke finally joined them again and was on his feet in five seconds flat dodging the blow that would have for sure killed him "Why are you doing this Ni-san" the eight year old scowled.

Tears in his eyes with a couple spilling down his cheeks "Like I already said to test my strength and if you want revenge foolish little brother you must come before me with these eyes, the mangekyou sharingan only after killing your best friend can you acquire the ultimate form of our dojutsu" the older Uchiha explained.

Sakura felt terror well up in her as Sasuke dropped to the floor squirming and screaming in pure agony after Itachi had used what he'd called his mangekyou sharingan on his own brother before turning to her with that same cold look in his eyes from before.

Padding forward until he was knelt beside her "I'm sorry you had to witness this Sakura-san, it was never my intention to involve you so I ask that you go to sleep and forget" then his eyes changed to the warm ones she remembered before her whole world went black.

When Sakura next woke it was to the steady beeping of a heart monitor and the second thing she noticed was that she was in the hospital, panic welled up on her and she started thrashing around afraid of the darkness that enveloped the room.

In the next moment the whole room was filled with a bright light as a medic rushed in to see what was wrong "Sweetie everything's okay now" the medic soothed gently as tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks and she didn't even know why she felt so sad all of a sudden.

"Um whats going on why am I here in the hospital" the rosette frowned in confusion as her tears finally abated the only thing she could think of asking at that particular moment in time, she felt fine so why was she in a hospital bed.

The medic looked at her in confusion "Whats the last thing you remember sweetie" the woman asked carefully and the little girl tilted her head to the side forcing herself to remember the last thing she'd done.

"Err I was hanging out with Sasuke….oh god Sasuke where is he, please tell me Itachi-san didn't get him" Sakura jolted easily breaking the memory blocking jutsu the thirteen year old had placed in her mind.

Relieved that all it had taken was a little concentration the medic nodded "Your friend is fine, over there still asleep in fact, though Sasuke-san got hit with the worst kind of attack, he probably won't wake up for a couple more days" the medic pointed.

And Sakura immediately calmed down as her eyes landed on Sasuke, who unlike how she'd last seen him was no longer screaming in that agonizing way even as more tears poured from her eyes, and though Itachi hadn't quite admitted it, what he'd said had been answer enough.

Her very first friend the teenager she saw like an older brother was dead and Itachi had been the one to kill him "Shisui-kun, Shisui-kun" the rosette cried unable to really comprehend the loss of someone she considered family.

While the medic just held her to her chest and ran a soothing hand through silky pink locks until the little girl's parents burst their way into the room their daughter was in "Sakura oh my baby" Mebuki lunged finding Sakura awake.

More tears spilled down already to pale cheeks "Thank god your okay" Kizashi heaved a sigh of relief that his daughter was finally awake after sleeping for two whole days as he joined the family hug, it was clear though that Sakura wasn't okay in the least.

As she sat there wrapped in their arms unable to stop from crying and completely inconsolable "Not okay Itachi-san did something horrible he killed his own parents and Shisui-ni" Sakura whimpered unable to get those images out of her mind either.

Traumatized most likely from the incident she'd inadvertently gotten herself mixed up in alongside Sasuke "About that can you tell us what you remember Sakura-san" Shikaku Nara appeared in the hospital room.

Eyeing her warily like she was a ticking time bomb but Sakura nodded and tried to dry her eyes as best she could "He said it was to test his strength and that he was sorry I got mixed up in it to, he also told Sasuke that if he wanted revenge he had to kill his best friend" the rosette sniffled.

Shikaku grimaced realizing what that meant while the older Haruno's gasped and held onto their daughter like she was their lifeline "She couldn't remember at first, he placed some memory block on her that she broke" the medic warned.

The man rubbed his face tiredly since it had been a long couple of days with his son pestering him to find out how Sakura was and cleaning up the bodies from the massacre to start preparing a funeral for them "Right of course she did" the Nara Patriarch groaned.

If there was one thing he understood about that little girl, it was that she was different, to different than the rest of her classmates, eventually Sakura drifted off into a fitful sleep "What'll we do, what if Sasuke decides to pursue his brother for revenge" the blonde woman frowned.

Peering at the other child involved in the incident who still had yet to awaken "The only thing we can do Mebuki, ensure that never happens" the pink haired male said firmly, having already thought of it before.

Curious about what the two were speaking of the Jonin Commander joined them "How will you ensure Sasuke never becomes an avenger, also I would suggest therapy for Sakura-san, to help ease the emotional trauma she was dealt" Shikaku suggested.

Already thinking of the best therapist in the village who happened to be very child friendly and Sakura would really like him since she was already familiar with the man "Adopt Sasuke of course if that's what he wants and yes that's probably for the best" Mebuki nodded.

Her husband was in agreement to the idea as well "Poor boy, he lost everyone in a single night" Kizashi shook his head feeling pity for the child he doubted Sasuke would appreciate it though and perhaps maybe he should see a therapist as well.

For two more days Sakura stayed in the hospital until Sasuke finally woke up "Sakura" he croaked, throat sore from the screaming he'd done four days ago upon spotting his friend sitting up and talking to Ino's father of all people.

Though upon hearing him her eyes shot towards his, bloodshot viridian with deep black bags met his tear filled ebony "Go on Sakura-chan" Inoichi helped her from the bed to the floor and followed the little girl over to the bed that was occupied by Sasuke.

Before climbing in to sit next to him with Inoichi's help again "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you said you had a bad feeling" the raven haired boy apologized feeling horrible for making her witness that horror with him.

"Not your fault Sasuke, sitting here and blaming each other won't change what Itachi did to your entire clan either you know" Sakura shrugged tiredly, not getting much sleep from all the nightmares she'd been having the last couple of days.

He grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists "Still why did he have to do that, I'm sure he was lying he had to be right Sakura" Sasuke scowled trying to remember everything but after seeing his parents lying there dead, he'd blanked a lot out, leaving Sakura to fend for herself.

It had only been after hearing Sakura scream, pleading with his brother not to kill him that he'd managed to snap out of it, by then he'd missed a lot and then Itachi had used that sharingan on him and it felt like he was being tortured from the inside out.

Sakura pat his hand gently "I don't know for sure Sasuke but I don't think it was for the reason he said it was for" the rosette finally said, remembering the change just before blacking out, how he'd given her that warm look that she was accustomed while asking her to go to sleep and forget.

Those words were engraved on her mind and she was sure he'd said them for a reason "So what are you doing here" the ebony haired boy focused his attention on the silent male who'd been listening to them converse no doubt.

"Ah well for all intents and purposes for the next couple of months I'm going to be your therapist, that way the trauma you and Sakura-chan were dealt can be eased" Inoichi explained earning the patented Uchiha scowl.

Until Sakura patted Sasuke's hand again in a reassuring way "Also there's one more thing my parents offered if you'd like to take you in, adopt you even, only if you want but you have a room at our house if you want it" Sakura breathed out.

Knowing her friend was probably going to take this badly and the boy stared at her in shock and surprise "They want to adopt me, I know you heard what Itachi said and have already told them that, so how could they even want me near you" Sasuke spat.

"Because you didn't deserve anything that happened Sasuke-san, plus and though you might not want to hear this you are an orphan now and your brother could decide to come back to kill you if he wanted, you can't stay in that compound anymore" the blonde off to the side said.

Ebony orbs rounded in fear "I'm sorry Sasuke" the pinkette felt tears pricking at her eyes again as the boys shoulders shook in silent sobs, grieving for everyone he'd lost, his parents, his entire clan and what made it worse was that the person who'd done it was the one he'd adored, his brother.

His brother was a murderer "Someday I'm going to get the truth out of him" the second to last survivor of the Uchiha clan vowed, determined to do everything in his power to complete his goal from then on and be nothing like Itachi wanted him to be.

Inoichi let out a silent sigh of relief as the two children lay side by side and went to sleep, at least it seemed that Sasuke wasn't going to become what his brother wanted him to be and that was perhaps the best thing they could all hope for right now as the children slept.


	10. Living Life in the Aftermath

A few days later Sasuke and Sakura were released from the hospital, Inoichi securing a promise from the older Haruno's to set up a therapy session for both eight year old's soon "Ready Sasuke" Mebuki smiled, relieved that he'd accepted their offer to come live with them.

Even if he'd rejected the idea of them adopting him, he was still going to be well taken care of by them regardless of that "Yeah sure" Sasuke sulked realizing that once he left the hospital with Sakura and her family he would never be able to go back to how things were ever again.

Though he didn't want to cry anymore tears pricked harshly at his eyes and quick as a flash he dragged his arm over his eyes drying the unwanted tears on his sleeve "I know it's hard Sasuke" Sakura pat his other hand catching the movement.

Sasuke sighed figuring he wouldn't be able to hide anything from Sakura at this rate, she knew everything but he guessed it wasn't so bad having someone that understood the situation on his side "Come on then we should get going" Kizashi warned.

Wanting to have them home before academy let out for the weekend giving the two children a couple more days to rest, with that the four of them left the hospital behind and started down the streets of the Leaf Village.

Until they came upon their house and headed in, taking off their sandals before crowding into the living room "Oh right probably should show you to your new room Sasuke-kun" the blonde woman remembered before she sat down on the couch.

The boy in question jumped at the sudden outburst and forced himself to calm down when the woman looked guilty and flashed him an apologetic smile "Sounds like a plan" the raven haired eight year old grimaced already feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I'll come to cause my room is right across the hall" the pinkette popped up from the floor following after her mother and Sasuke as they headed up the stairs, Kizashi on their heels, a few minutes later they stopped before a door.

And the two females gestured for him to go in, with a deep breath Sasuke pushed open the door to find everything he'd had in his old room back at the compound "We know we can't replace your parents Sasuke, but we can hopefully make you comfortable" the pink haired male explained.

Hoping that the personal affects that belonged to the boy didn't upset him as Sasuke headed further into the room looking at certain things before swallowing thickly "Dear me" Mebuki sighed when he broke down in tears.

Crying silently "Thank you so much, y..you don't know how much this means to me" Sasuke sniffled after a couple of moments giving up on being strong for the time being as Sakura joined him in his new room and took his hand in her own.

To pat it gently in a reassuring way that he'd grown use to over the last couple of years "Mebuki, let's leave them alone for a little while" Kizashi ushered his wife back to the living room leaving things to his daughter.

Who was the best friend any other kid could ask for "Ugh it's going to be such a pain being back in class on Monday all that homework we'll have to catch up on" Sakura said suddenly and Sasuke gave her a look that said she was crazy.

But his tears did slow to a stop and Sasuke couldn't help himself as he snorted "Easy enough for you but I struggle with a couple subjects remember" the raven haired boy scoffed under his breath and Sakura's lips curved upwards.

As she broke down in giggles, it was the first laughter he'd heard from her since that day and he found himself smiling at her amusement "I could always help you Sasuke" the pinkette suggested wanting to have a normal conversation that didn't involve them breaking down crying again.

"Nah I want to do it myself, make them proud you know, but if I do need help I'll let you know" Sasuke admitted quietly sliding to the floor with her following him as they sat seiza facing each other just talking really.

She understood all to well the need Sasuke had "Yeah so when do you think they'll set up that therapy session" Sakura mused flopping down to lay on her belly kicking her feet in the air head resting in an open palm.

Her friend just stared at her weirdly before copying her position on the floor "Who knows what do you suppose it'll be like anyway, think he'll make us talk about weird stuff or you know" the second to last remaining Uchiha commented.

Making her smile "Possibly Sasuke, the sessions are supposed to help us talk out whatever is bothering us" the rosette explained with a yawn, the two of them were on the verge of crashing right then and there when a loud knock from the front door filtered into their ears.

They scrambled to the foot of the stairs "Classes are over for the day, so I thought I'd bring their homework in the case they wanted to work on it so they could catch up before Monday" Iruka's voice floated up to them.

It was nice to know their sensei cared enough about them he'd do such a thing "Should we" Sasuke pointed at the stairs wanting to see his sensei for the first time in what felt like forever, when it had really only been a week.

"Yeah I want to see Iruka-sensei to" Sakura nodded in agreement as they carefully headed down the steps to the living room and poked their heads around the corner to peer into the foyer, almost instantly his gaze caught them out of the corner of his eye.

And Iruka couldn't help but smile in relief to see them doing alright "Don't just stand there you two, Iruka has brought your homework that you've missed out on" the blonde woman sensed the man's distraction then turned her head to see where he was looking.

Only to spot her daughter and Sasuke peeking at them at her command they shuffled forward "Hello Iruka-sensei and thank you very much for bringing our homework" the little pinkette was as polite as he remembered and he was glad that hadn't changed.

"Thanks Iruka-sensei and we'll be back in class on Monday" the raven haired boy sulked not wanting to let on that he was happy the man was checking up on them and wasn't pitying him like most adults were sure to do now.

Iruka nodded "Good, I know the whole class has missed you two, just make sure you rest up and if your not feeling up to it, let me know" the brunet breathed out able to go home that night without worrying for two of his students.

A few minutes later after handing off the packets, he left and the door was shut, the two children scrambled back up the stairs leaving the adults alone "Well I'm glad he's acting normal" the pink haired male chuckled.

Relieved that everything seemed to be okay for the time being "So about that first therapy session Inoichi-san mentioned I was thinking maybe next Saturday" Mebuki mused having thought about it a great deal at that point.

Her husband nodded "Probably for the best and every Saturday after that just in case their having problems, if they need additional I'm sure he'll tell us to schedule more" Kizashi shrugged wanting the best for the two kids in their care now.

Mebuki nodded then stood and headed into the kitchen to get started on dinner for the four of them now by the time it was done both Sasuke and Sakura were sitting in the living room with Kizashi reading from their lesson books and working on their homework still.

"Dinner is ready you three come eat before food gets cold" the blonde woman called from the dining room after setting up the table and making up the plates for the lot of them, a couple seconds later the two children were seated at the table with her husband a minute behind them.

Sakura broke into raucous laughter at his put out expression "Just how is it you two got ahead of me" the pink haired male pouted looking ridiculous while Sasuke covered his mouth to stifle his own laughter at the hilarious moment.

As his friend grinned "We're just that good" the rosette shared a secretive smile with Sasuke, who knew what she'd done, it seemed Shisui had gifted her with his skill at the body flicker technique and now Sakura could execute it just as well as he had been able to.

It was even funner being swept up in the technique disappearing from place and reappearing in another "Yeah Mr. Haruno" the raven haired boy nodded while Mebuki just smiled in amusement at their antics.

Before they all gave their thanks for the food and dug in eating while the food was still warm and chatting lightly about this or that until everything had been devoured and wanting to take responsibility for himself Sasuke did as Sakura did and washed his own dishes.

Then the four of them headed back into the living room "How does next Saturday sound for your first therapy session" Mebuki piped in when the kids got comfortable at the low sitting table and got started on their homework again.

Both of them shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them with only their eyes before they looked to her "That's fine Momma" Sakura nodded seriously, hardly able to wait but knowing when to be patient such as now.

"Good, good and then we'll schedule the sessions for every Saturday after that until the two months are up that Inoichi initially offered" Kizashi piped in, peering over his book at the duo on the floor working on their homework intently.

Neither child seemed to bothered by what they'd decided "I don't have a problem with it" Sasuke shrugged and with that silence settled around them until it was finally time for bed, Mebuki had drawn them a bath in separate bathrooms and after bathing they dressed in sleep clothes and got some shut eye.

With that the weekend passed by rather quick and it was with nervousness that Sasuke and Sakura marched off to the academy after a whole week of being absent from class, clutching each others hands tightly when they arrived and sat down in their usual seats.

Expecting the questions as the first person to arrive was Kiba and after a quick yip from Akamaru the boy sped towards them "What the hell happened I've been worried out of my mind" Kiba snapped furiously, anger and worry making for a volatile mix in the Inuzuka boy.

Sakura flinched while Sasuke gripped her hand tighter nearly cutting off the circulation "As much as we'd like to tell you Inuzuka, we can't, the Hokage told us not to, just know we're fine" the Uchiha blew out a breath.

Forcing himself to relax "So then you really were in the hospital all of last week and not skipping" the Inuzuka heir growled upset that he couldn't even get the truth out of his friends, it irritated him beyond belief but if the Hokage was involved he knew they couldn't tell no matter what.

"No we weren't skipping Kiba and yes in the hospital" the rosette shook her head assuring the volatile boy that they hadn't been skipping no matter what wild idea's he liked to come up with or think about sometimes, even if it was probably for the best everyone thought that way.

They couldn't because Iruka had already informed all of their classmates that they'd been in the hospital and they'd gotten a get well card while staying in a room signed by everyone, even the more obstinate students such as Ino or Ami, though she was sure they'd only signed for Sasuke and not her.

Kiba sighed and plopped down in the row below them determined to stick close from then on to ensure nothing else happened to the duo, in the next moment Sasuke and Sakura had to endure a repeat as Naruto charged into the classroom.

And immediately spotted the duo sitting in their usual seats "Sakura-chan, Sasuke I was so worried, how come you were in the hospital, did you get hurt real bad" Naruto cried lip wobbling as tears formed in his eyes upon seeing his two friends.

It was a little heart jerking and that grip tightened "Can't tell you Naruto, just know that we're fine now…for the most part" Sasuke added that last little bit under his breath to low for the knucklehead to hear thankfully.

This earned him a look from Kiba who had highly sensitive ears "Yeah we're okay Naruto-kun I promise" Sakura beamed as brightly as she could, forcing herself to not think on the incident so she didn't end up crying right there in the classroom.

She was sure it would set off Sasuke and he'd want to leave and go back home, but at the very least she wanted to sit through their classes to regain a semblance of normalcy it was what they needed to be surrounded by their friends to keep their minds off things.

Naruto sulked "Okay so long as you are" the blonde huffed joining Kiba in the row below the duo, intending to keep an eye on them like the Inuzuka had already planned himself to ensure his friends didn't get stuck in the hospital again for a reason they couldn't say.

Five minutes later Shikamaru trudged into the classroom and his eyes widened at the sight of them and the two of them hoped that he wouldn't ask them questions to as the boy walked over to them "Welcome back Sasuke, Sakura" Shikamaru greeted lazily.

"Try to stay out of trouble it's to troublesome to worry about you all the time" the Nara heir scowled taking his usual seat across the room and a few minutes after that their last friend showed his face in the classroom.

He took his seat silently peering at the duo that had stuck by him from the beginning of their academy days then pulled out a pile of notes from his bookbag "Notes why because if I didn't you would for sure fret over not getting to copy them down" was all Shino said.

As he placed the stack before Sakura "Also my father's planning another bug hunting expedition tomorrow if your interested" the brunet heir offered not expecting the sudden tears, Kiba and Naruto were immediately alarmed at the sight of them.

And they even drew Shikamaru from his seat until Sakura held up her hand forcing the image of Shisui out of mind knowing she'd never get to see him again or go on bug hunting expeditions with him or do anything really with her friend ever because he was gone.

Beside her, Sasuke grit his teeth knowing why she was so upset and so he patted her hand like she did him "He wouldn't want you to be sad Sakura" the Uchiha whispered softly for her ears only Kiba unable to hear this time.

Sakura nodded and wiped her eyes dry "Thank you Shino for the notes and I'll be there" the pinkette said giving Shino a watery smile the boys in the row below them relaxed and Shikamaru returned to his seat.

The worst was yet to come as the rest of their classmates appeared en masse and started firing off questions at them making the duo in question extremely uncomfortable when they wouldn't stop even after being told they couldn't tell them the reason they'd been absent.

Ino and Ami being the most persistent until their sensei entered the classroom "Enough everyone please take your seats and leave Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan alone, they only just returned to us so don't overwhelm them" Iruka clapped his hands and said that in a warning tone.

Making everyone scramble for their seats so they could start class, Sakura and Sasuke sent him thankful smiles as he began their history lesson knowing the two kids needed something normal to keep their minds off that terrible night and the things they'd witnessed or were subjected to.

With class in session finally Sakura managed to focus her mind on taking notes like she was use to, determined to keep up her perfect grades it was totally her after all and no one could take that part of her away.

Sasuke was as equally as diligent that day having promised to do his best from then on until it was lunch time, before the lot of them could head up to the roof, they were stopped "Hold up where do you get off holding Sasuke-kun's hand you pink haired freak" Ami spat.

Furious upon seeing the two holding hands like it was completely natural "Leave them alone Ami" Naruto crossed his arms with a deep frown on his lips, didn't the girl have the sense to be nice after something terrible had obviously happened to the two in question.

"Yeah Himekari so go bother someone else with your bullshit for once" Kiba snapped fed up with her crap and constantly picking on Sakura and calling her those awful names all the time, he happened to think her pink hair was unique and even suited her but that was his opinion.

Ami reeled back as if slapped "Indeed why because your bullying has gotten tiresome, leave her be" Shino took a stance, kikaichu crawling from their nest in his body hissing in agitation at their hosts emotions, the girl took one look at the insects and fled as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.

The others blinked at him just a tiny bit shocked he'd defended Sakura like that "Well that's one way to get rid of a bully, troublesome to" Shikamaru shook his head intending on hanging out with Choji but wanting to make sure Sasuke and Sakura would be alright.

Apparently he didn't need to worry about the two in question as Sakura smiled brightly and Sasuke covered his mouth to keep from full on laughing "Thanks Shino your the best" Sakura hugged Shino in a bone crushing hug.

Relieved to have such an awesome friend "You two as well Naruto, Kiba, thanks for that" Sasuke nodded at the two other boys as they started up the stairs to their usual hang out spot and Sakura unloaded the checkered blanket and opened up the four tiered lunch box for them to dig into.

"No problem seriously, Ami's crap needs to stop" the Inuzuka Heir shrugged as if it was no big deal, to him it really wasn't because the bullying had gone on long enough in his mind if he was being completely honest with himself.

The others understood that to "That reminds me Kiba, since I have things I do with Naruto-kun, Shino, Shikamaru and Sasuke, I'd like to find something we could do to hang out sometime as well" the rosette piped in suddenly.

Pausing mid-bite as she remembered what she'd thought before that awful day and only just now getting around to mentioning it "S'only fair since you do things with all of us Sakura-chan" the lone blonde in their group shrugged not jealous in the least.

Sakura hung out with them equally if they asked her to "Before you ask, Sakura trains with me, goes on bug hunts with Shino, plays Shogi with Shikamaru and helps Naruto with fuinjutsu" the raven haired boy explained.

As Kiba eyed her in confusion wondering what she did with the others "Indeed even tomorrow she'll be going on an adventure with me and my Father" the Aburame Heir added pleased that she hadn't rejected the idea even if she had cried.

When put that way he couldn't refuse "Okay how about day after tomorrow you come with me to my Sis's vet clinic, there's puppies that need looking after, we could do that together" Kiba suggested carefully.

Viridian orbs lit up for only the second time since they'd all arrived, the first being when Shino had stood up for her "Great I'll definitely tell my parents Kiba" Sakura smiled brightly then focused on eating her lunch again.

Next to her Sasuke forced himself to not feel jealous that she'd be doing things that weren't with him "Then after that could me and you work on my fuinjutsu again the following day in the library, Sasuke can come to" Naruto bounced.

All the tension drained out of him "Not a bad idea Naruto" Sasuke nodded at the same time Sakura did, relenting to his request, which meant that Sakura would probably go over to Shikamaru's one of these days to play shogi with the boy as well to hang out with them equally.

Which left him "Perhaps you could train with Sasuke as well" Shino suggested to keep things fair, of course Sakura wouldn't object to doing something with all of them when they asked her to as they finished up lunch and just sat around lounging until it was time to go back to class.

"Finally found you fore…Sakura" Ino appeared on the roof a couple minutes later huffing and puffing completely out of breath, she'd been searching for quite awhile now and was relieved that she'd managed to find her target.

Sakura immediately frowned while Shino took up a stance in front of her, ready to scare off another girl who kept bullying his friend ruthlessly "You don't have to do that I'm not here to call her names anymore" the Yamanaka Heiress scowled.

"What are you here for then Yamanaka" the Inuzuka Heir growled, crossing his arms over his chest ready to defend his friend again even Akamaru let out a little growl sensing his partners current mood of anger.

The blonde held up her hands "To apologize okay, I'm sorry for being a bitch to you Sakura, I was angry that you tattled on me but it doesn't condone what I've done to you, do you think you could forgive me and have a redo so we can finally be friends" Ino bowed.

"How can we be sure that your really sincere with that apology when your friends with Ami" the other blonde on the roof commented suddenly, Ino winced, knowing he spoke the truth, but there was something she could say that would hopefully get them to relax.

As she took a deep breath "It's true she and I are still friends, however I can keep her from bullying Sakura like she has been all this time even before we entered the academy" the slightly older blonde offered.

It was good enough for Naruto "And what about me, don't I deserve an apology to, since you stole my pencil and hurt Sakura that day, she had a really bad bruise on her cheek cause of you" the Uchiha in their class narrowed his eyes.

"O..Of course I'm sorry for stealing your pencil Sasuke-k…and for hurting you like that Sakura" Ino forced herself to not call the boy by the suffix, it was the only way to prove that she really was genuine in her apologies.

Shino glanced back to Sakura "Do you think that's enough, why because she seems sincere" the Aburame Heir asked seeing no point in making the girl suffer through any more as she'd already subjected herself to their harsh scrutiny.

Sakura nodded "Consider yourself forgiven Ino" the pinkette relented to the repeated apologies and as much as Sasuke wanted to groan in annoyance he didn't because Sakura finally had a female friend to do normal girly things with if she even did those things.

Ino brightened "Thanks you won't regret this I promise Sakura, oh maybe after academy lets out we can go to mine and do flower arrangements I remember you like that sort of thing" the blonde chattered before zipping down the stairs as the bell rang.

Then the day was over before they even knew it "Have fun Sakura, I'm just going to head back okay" Sasuke knew that Sakura was itching to hang out with her new friend but while she had what seemed like boundless energy he didn't.

"Right just let them know where I'll be please Sasuke" Sakura requested politely patting Sasuke on the hand before speeding towards Ino with determination in her gate and when she was close enough made a hand sign and in a swirl of cherry blossoms was stood next to her only female friend so far after a hellish couple of years.

The girl jumped at her sudden appearance "I know I offered but I didn't think you'd accept it right off the bat" Ino said when they started down the streets to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to hang out for the first time ever.

Her lips curved upwards "Well I don't like to procrastinate, plus I promised the others I'd hang out with them individually this week, Shikamaru to though he doesn't know it and this is the only day I'm not doing anything with them" the rosette admitted lightly.

"Can you tell me how it is you became friends with Shino anyway, you were already sitting next to him first day of class" Ino asked curiously having been wondering all this time but because of her own stupidity hadn't been able to ask until now.

A pained smile on her lips "Few days before academy started I was on a bug hunting expedition with someone who was my best friend in the entire world, he was like a brother, I accidentally rammed into Shino's Dad and so they joined us on our expedition" Sakura explained.

Feeling the tears pricking at her eyes and threatening to spill over, Ino caught sight of them and panicked "I..I'm sorry for your loss then" the blonde grimaced, catching on to the past tense in which Sakura had spoken about her supposed friend.

"Nah it's okay, he wouldn't want me to be sad about him being gone like this, anyway we're here" the pinkette wiped her eyes dry without shedding a single tear, picking up the pieces of her shattered heart no matter how hard it was and pointing to the building they were stood in front of.

Even as her mind flashed back to the day Sasuke's mother had asked her if she had a crush on someone, perhaps Shisui had been her first crush and she just hadn't realized it but now after that display when Ami had approached them she was sure she had a crush on Shino.

He'd stood up for her with a fierce protectiveness in his stance and she'd been in complete awe over it, her cheeks turned red in remembrance before shaking herself out of her sudden thoughts "Home already Ino-chan oh…..Sakura-chan it's been a long time" Aiko greeted them.

As they entered the house through the flower shop and took off their sandals "Me and Sakura are going to do flower arrangements" Ino avoided her mothers knowing gaze until it strayed to Sakura who ducked her head and slumped her shoulders.

Aiko itched to give the girl a hug and in the next moment did just that "Um Mrs. Yamanaka everything okay" Sakura wheezed out as her lungs were crushed usually only her mother was the one to hug her like this so she was kind of confused.

"Just peachy, now you two run along and enjoy yourselves" the Yamanaka Matriarch forced herself to put the girl down on her feet and usher them off to have fun doing flower arrangements like Ino had told her.

She watched the two girls scramble out the backdoor "So Ino-chan managed to settle her differences" Inoichi appeared after the door was shut, his wife nodded "Good that will hopefully take her mind off things some" the Yamanaka Patriarch sighed in relief.

It was an hour and a half later that Ino and Sakura trailed inside "See you tomorrow Sakura in class" the Yamanaka heiress waved seeing the girl off so she wasn't late in getting home for dinner even if she could just stay to have dinner with them.

The girl had proved to adept at flower arrangements and she was reluctant to let the girl go "Yeah absolutely, we'll have to do flower arrangements again, it was nice seeing you Mr. Yamanaka, Mrs. Yamanaka" the pinkette waved back.

Vanishing out the flower shop door and down the darkening streets, fear welled up on her remembering the last time she'd been out in the dark and quickened her pace to a near run making it home in record time.

Where her mother met her at the door to look her over, sighing in relief when she found her daughter in perfect health "Did you have fun with Yamanaka" the little Uchiha asked when Sakura was seated at the dinner table with them.

"Lots of fun Sasuke, arranging flowers is so interesting" Sakura piped in with a great big smile as her heart calmed down from her jaunt across the village, it was probably something she was going to have to talk to Inoichi about to see if there was a way to overcome her sudden fear of the dark.

Relieved that she did indeed have a good time "Good you'll have to do it again also I already told them that your going to have a bug hunting expedition with Shino tomorrow" Sasuke turned his head away cheeks red to Mebuki's amusement.

While Kizashi outright laughed "Yes so long as your back before to late you can go on that expedition" Mebuki nodded relenting to the hopeful stare, just glad that she wasn't rejecting the idea of doing something she liked just because Shisui was gone.

"And so long as you tell us you can hang out with any one of your friends" Kizashi added contributing to the conversation as light chatter flowed between them, Sakura doing her homework like Sasuke had already done once finished eating before bed time.

The next day after a long day at the academy and preparing for tests that the teachers were planning Sakura traipsed after Shino after unsealing her bug hunting gear from her storage scroll "Are you ready Sakura-san" Shibi inquired once his son and the girl were stood before him.

"Oh absolutely Shibi-san I wouldn't miss this expedition for the world" the pinkette beamed clutching the handle of her butterfly net tightly in her hands, determined not to cry for once at the reminders of Shisui as they trekked to the gates and signed out.

Leaving the village behind to the guards eternal confusion at the odd trio as they headed for the forest to get their expedition underway "What are you hoping to find, why because it's good to set a goal to accomplish it at the beginning" Shino piped in.

Instantly once they were in the forest "Mm I was thinking the panda ant, yes I know it's rare but I was hoping cause its something Sh…a goal I've had for awhile" Sakura said after a short pause in where she stumbled over a particular name.

Shino winced knowing who's name she'd almost said and knowing that, that very same name was also very taboo from even mentioning "Will you be keeping it if you find it Sakura-san" the Aburame Patriarch asked lightly.

Not commenting on that slight pause and Sakura nodded hesitantly "I want to help them so their not almost an endangered species anymore" the fuscia haired girl admitted determination burning bright in her eyes finally.

"That's a good goal to have, why because it will certainly help the species repopulate themselves without threat or danger of other things eating them" the brunet heir commented already thinking of everything his friend would need just in case they found the ant in question.

With that they began their expedition through the forest the Aburame's searching leisurely for any insects while the lone girl searched under anything and everything, through bushes, under leaves, rocks, decayed animals, anthills they ran across, even up tree's nothing was left unturned.

And just as she was giving up hope Shibi had an idea "Why don't you use your insect gathering jutsu son" Shibi said so suddenly that it startled Sakura and she nearly fell off the branch she'd been holding onto to climb out of the tree.

He was going to catch her to when she dropped from the tree anyway and landed gracelessly on her feet "Not a bad idea, why because that way the search will go faster" Shino nodded already performing the necessary hand signs.

Laying his hand on a rock to call insects of all types to him with the jutsu in question and just when they were about to call it a day before it could get to late on them "It's a panda ant" Sakura burst out spying the wingless wasp among all the other insects.

Then scooped it up in gloved hands to gently place in her glass tank before setting it down carefully and latching onto her friend chanting thank you over and over again in his ear as happy tears pricked at her eyes and slithered down her cheeks.

Shibi was worried until he saw the smile "Right we should probably get you back, perhaps next time we'll acquire a male for you to breed them and start your own colony, do you have a bug habitat ready at your home" the Aburame Patriarch questioned.

Sakura nodded "My Mom and Dad helped me set it up awhile back in case I decided on keeping any insect" the pinkette explained cradling her tank, hardly able to wait until the next expedition in hopes of acquiring the male of the pair.

"I'll see you tomorrow, why because we still have the academy to look forward to" the Aburame Heir reminded, still a little flushed from that hug she'd given him as they dropped Sakura off at her house, she nodded and vanished within to meet her parents and have dinner with them.

Sasuke was intrigued by the black and white insect she carried in her glass tank and was even surprised when Sakura tipped it carefully into a large glass habitat for insects "You really keeping it then" Sasuke asked.

"Mhm and the next time I'll get her a partner so they can build up a colony of their own" Sakura smiled proud of her accomplishment as she got started on her homework before going to bed and the rest of the week was like that to.

Where she had a lot of fun helping Kiba watch over puppies the next day, followed by working on her fuinjutsu with Naruto and Sasuke, even giving Shikamaru a surprise visit to play shogi until it was finally Saturday.

They knew what that meant to as a little after lunch Mebuki ushered them to put on their sandals and led them out the door down the streets "I won't always be able to come with you so remember the way" Mebuki told them.

As they stopped before a scary looking building "Okay Momma" Sakura clutched Sasuke's hand tightly but to her surprise they didn't have to go in and instead they went around the side to a smaller building that looked much friendlier in her eyes.

"Phew what a relief I thought we were going to have to go into that other place" Sasuke shuddered feeling much like Sakura had and liking that there was a separate building that had been built even though they'd never noticed it before.

Mebuki shook her head "Now just wait here patiently for them to call your name, I have some shopping to do" the blonde woman pat each child on the head leaving them to sit on chairs to wait until their names were called.

Not that they had to wait very long as five minutes after Mebuki had left "Inoichi will see you two now Haruno-san, Uchiha-san" the receptionist called wondering why both children were being called at the same time when it was standard to have one on one sessions.

Immediately the duo jumped up and followed her down a long hall to a room "Ah there you are I feared that you might not come" Inoichi smiled kindly at the two kids as they shuffled into his kid friendly office for their first therapy session.

"Unfortunately I think Mrs. Haruno would have our hides if we tried to skip out so…" the ebony haired boy trailed off crinkling his nose up and Inoichi stifled a chuckle of amusement glad that he seemed to be adjusting to his new environment.

"How about you Sakura-chan, is having Sasuke-kun live with you alright still" the blonde set his cerulean gaze on Sakura next starting off the session with a nice easy question while Sasuke stared at his friend in horror, not having ever thought to ask if she was okay with him living with her.

He was about to find out and he was scared as Sakura nodded "Yep I'm okay, Sasuke's practically been family since the day we became friends after all so it's not so different having him live with us" the rosette chattered.

And the man nodded, scribbling down some notes on a clipboard "Okay why don't you two have a seat, tell me all about your week" Inoichi lowered his pen down and focused his attention on the kids again asking a simple question.

"The first day was crazy, everyone was asking questions and Hokage-sama had already told us we couldn't tell anyone what really happened it was hard until Iruka-sensei got them to stop, other than that besides a few crying spells it was fine" Sasuke shrugged.

"I can't talk about Sh..you know him I can't even say his name or think about him without crying" Sakura on the other hand wasn't afraid to admit that she was struggling with a specific thing and Inoichi nodded understanding her trauma.

She'd lost someone important to her heart of course she'd have a hard time getting over Shisui's death to the point where she might not be able to say his name or think about him anymore for fear of crying and becoming an inconsolable mess.

But he was glad she was talking about it in a roundabout way "Now what about you Sasuke-kun, how are you coping so far" the blonde man inquired gently wondering if the boy would be as open as Sakura was.

It was clear that Sasuke didn't want to appear weak in any sort of way as he struggled to answer the question until he reached out and took Sakura's hand "I miss them so much it hurts and I want to hate Itachi but I can't not until I find out the truth" the ebony haired boy admitted.

Tears shining in his eyes as he spoke and clutching his shirt tightly where his heart lay agony plastered all over his face "Good, good it's okay to admit you miss someone Sasuke it's a part of the grieving process so is anger it comes in stages all normal I assure you" Inoichi explained.

As Sasuke took deep breaths to calm himself down Sakura patting him on the hand gently to help him out a little and Inoichi noted that down on his clipboard "What stage do you think I'm in Mr. Yamanaka" the pinkette asked shyly.

Worried no doubt "Between depression and acceptance I think, you know he's gone, your depressed about it but you've also accepted that he won't be coming back and you two can just call me Inoichi if you'd like" the Yamanaka Patriarch answered the question truthfully.

Helping the girl to relax a little "Let's move on shall we, are either of you still having nightmares, I'm all ears if you want to talk about them or any fears you have" Inoichi asked another questioned knowing it was the right one.

When both kids looked relieved and even nodded "Yeah I'm still having nightmares of that mangekyou sharingan and what I experienced in that jutsu that was used on me, all those dead people" Sasuke shuddered.

"That's a definite start Sasuke acknowledging your fears" the blonde wrote down more notes on his clipboard and Sakura peered at him curiously "Just writing down things to consider for our next session" he said.

And she sat back in her seat with a sheepish smile "The dark" Sakura announced suddenly feeling stupid for having such a dumb fear, Inoichi looked up at her in confusion before his expression morphed into understanding.

"Can you tell me why you fear the dark Sakura-chan" Inoichi inquired gently knowing better than to make fun of the girl or she'd curl in on herself and stop talking, he'd seen it happen time and again with people much older.

PTSD was a common occurrence for those who'd been through something traumatic "It feels like I'm back there again in the Uchiha Compound walking through the dark streets and I can smell that awful smell again" the pinkette admitted quietly.

Looking to her feet ashamed that she was letting it bother her as much as it was while Sasuke grimaced because unlike her he'd never smelt anything "How can it be stopped" the little Uchiha asked for Sakura wanting to help in any way he could.

Inoichi smiled even if the whole world was against them Sasuke and Sakura would turn out alright because they had each other to lean on and glancing at the time decided to wrap up the session "Several ways Sasuke-kun, nightlights or carrying a flashlight with you at all times" the blonde said.

"For you Sasuke, keep talking to those that surround you don't bottle things up to the point you nearly burst, you have Sakura-chan, Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san rely on them a little, with that your first session is over" Inoichi clapped.

And the two kids stared at him wide eyed "Well thank you Inoichi-san for taking the time to do this and help us" Sakura was the first to pop up from the chair she'd been sitting in for the better part of an hour and a half.

Hardly able to wait until she could ask for a nightlight or a flashlight to carry on her to help with her fear of the dark "Yeah thanks and I'll do my best to do as you suggested" Sasuke huffed feeling five times better leaving than when they'd got there.

Clearly having a trained professional to talk to did wonders for their abused psyche's as they met Mebuki in the waiting room, her arms loaded down with shopping bags to which Sasuke and Sakura took a few each to help carry as they hurried home.

Talking to the older Haruno's about how the session went where Kizashi disappeared to the markets to buy what his daughter needed to help her overcome her fears and later on having dinner before going to bed after doing their homework.


	11. Going On a Fieldtrip (Part 1)

Upon turning nine they found themselves entering their fourth year at the academy, a whole year after the incident and on Inoichi's suggestion both Sasuke and Sakura had continued therapy sessions once a month to help them with any problems.

Today however the moment the lot of them had sat down in class their sensei spoke up "We'll be going on a field trip tomorrow so I'm passing around permission forms to have your parents sign" Iruka announced not sure how to feel about this.

When the idea hadn't been his, mainly the principals so he couldn't object "Field trip where, why because why else have us get permission forms signed" Shino questioned in that usual way of his participating for the moment as he'd gotten into the habit of.

Iruka grimaced "Out of the village to a tourist hot-spot called Tanzaku Town, it's only a couple days away, we'd be there for a couple days and be back Sunday evening at the latest" the brunet explained carefully.

Eyeing his students and watching their expressions closely, some of them were excited but the two he was most worried about shifted until they were sitting shoulder to shoulder looking uncomfortable, though Sakura did have a veiled look of excitement it was suppressed with worry.

Of course they'd be afraid to leave the village for any amount of time "Surely it won't just be you taking us Iruka-sensei" Kiba questioned with a frown, one teacher and a class full of students was bound to attract trouble from the wrong sorts.

"Fortunately no, there will be others going on, Jonin class Shinobi that have been assigned to escort us and protect us safely on our field trip, here's the permission forms and now I'll begin class" Iruka admitted passing around the papers.

Until each of his students had a form in front of them and he did roll-call making sure none of them were skipping, then pulled out his lesson book and got started with a history lecture going deeper into detail than ever before.

Then it was time for lunch "What do you think Sakura, should we ask if we can opt out, you know what he's capable of if he decides that our field trip is the perfect time to get at me" Sasuke scowled as they lagged behind their other friends for the moment.

It was a legitimate fear to have, always wondering if Itachi was going to come back to finish him off in case the teenager changed his mind about leaving him alive "Don't know Sasuke and yes I know, but it could be fun as well, just think it over alright" Sakura patted his hand gently.

As they joined the others on the roof "Geez did you take long enough Sakura, Sasuke" Ino huffed at them a little put out that they were going so slow that day unlike how they were usually the first ones up on the roof.

"Come off it Ino, if Sakura-chan and Sasuke want to go slow let them" Naruto rolled his eyes lightly they were still getting use to another girl's constant presence on the roof with them during lunch but at least Ino had kept to her promise of keeping Ami from bullying Sakura to much.

Kiba shook his head with a snort as the duo sat down and the five tiered lunch box was cracked open "So what do you all think of the field trip that we were told about" Shikamaru piped in wanting to know if it would be worth the trouble going on.

Some of them were clearly torn on the idea such as Sasuke and Sakura, who must have been talking about it on the way up to their usual spot, while Naruto and Kiba looked excited about the field trip, Ino looked uncomfortable and Shino was as stoic faced as ever.

"Might be informative why because it will teach us the necessary skills to survive outside the village" Shino finally said relenting to the stare being directed at him and Shikamaru nodded in understanding, Shino was odd.

And if he felt that way then perhaps nothing really would happen on the trip "At the very least they should give us more than a day to decide if we want to go on a field trip like this" the Uchiha complained suddenly having been opening up more and more to them.

Even if he hadn't ever said what had happened, he didn't keep his thoughts bottled up anymore "Right because it feels like we're being rushed to make a decision that could end badly" the pinkette sat next to him nodded seriously.

Shikamaru creased his forehead "Troublesome you heard Iruka-sensei, Jonin will be escorting us, how many I don't know and that's bound to keep bandits away at the very least" the Nara Heir reminded carefully.

Not sure why the duo were so reluctant, then again they hadn't been the same after that week of absence "Is there a point to debating on this topic" the Inuzuka Heir sighed realizing what was about to happen as the trio were pulled into a debate over the issue of their safety outside the village.

Head to and froing as the two nine year old's and one eight year old made their points on the subject "No use telling them that Kiba, it's what they like to do for fun" the slightly older blonde in their midst snorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Yikes Sakura-chan is in rare form this morning" the younger blonde on the roof shuddered when fire lit up in her vibrant green eyes going so far as to stand and put her hands on her hips until the debate came to a swift halt as they finally agreed on something.

To Sasuke's eternal frustration because he'd hoped that he could skip out on the field trip but now he was dragged into it "Don't worry so much, why because everything will be fine" the Aburame Heir soothed understanding for whatever reason his two friends were scared of leaving the village.

But they were at least willing to try going on the field trip at that point as they finished up eating lunch, sitting around yacking to one another like the friends they were, Shikamaru even going so far as to pull out his shogi board.

Like expected no matter how he planned out his moves, Sakura tied with him three consecutive games in a row "Gah I don't know how you do that, what a drag" Shikamaru groaned still beyond frustrated that he couldn't beat Sakura.

"Shame on you Shikamaru, you should know by this point that Sakura isn't your average girl" Ino snickered unsympathetic of the boy's plight as he packed up his shogi board, there was only ten minutes left of lunch after all and lay on his back to stare up at the sky cloud watching.

He sighed and nodded "Is it just me or did my eyes deceive me I could have sworn I saw Sakura about to win her first game against you" Sasuke piped in suddenly and Shikamaru sulked even more at that.

Prompting laughter from the two girls "Even if that's true I'm sure it was just luck this time around" Sakura smiled able to enjoy being surrounded by her friends, trauma for once a thousand miles away and not bothering her.

"Well we should probably get going so we're not almost late to class" Kiba added as the minutes ticked down to almost nothing and with that they started their way down the steps, reaching their classroom right as the bell rang.

And they all took their usual seats and before they knew it the rest of the day was over "See you guys tomorrow" Naruto waved taking off first headed in a different direction than usual, to see the Hokage he'd told them to get his field trip form signed since he didn't have parents.

"Make sure you pack, packs why in case you intend on really going" Shino piped in when they were getting ready to split up, both Sasuke and Sakura nodded, with that the two were gone heading to the Haruno house.

Getting home in record time "Ugh I forgot that today's one of those days they keep their stall open longer than usual" the ebony haired boy sighed when he found the two adults missing from the house after entering the living room.

"Yeah I forgot for a moment to, only thing we can do is wait and work on our homework in the mean….Iruka-sensei and the other teachers didn't assign us homework" the pinkette trailed off in realization that they didn't have homework for once.

Of course why would they have any when they'd be gone from the village for practically a week "Want to go to the library" Sasuke asked a couple minutes later when the boredom got to him, having homework to do every day had kept him busy.

His friend looked at him from her position on the couch "Yeah, let me a write a note real quick so they don't wonder where we are" Sakura popped up, scribbling a note for her parents then together they left the house again.

Walking down the streets to the library where they sat and read for an hour and a half "Think their home yet" the ebony haired boy questioned flipping through a book on lightning nature jutsu's lazily, interested but figuring that learning would be extremely difficult.

Sakura peeked at him over the edge of her book "Probably Sasuke, let me grab a couple books then we can go okay" the rosette shrugged lightly closing the book she was reading on the mystical palm again then disappeared for a few minutes to pick out a couple new books.

Then once they were checked out, the two of them left the library heading back to the house where they found Mebuki and Kizashi waiting for them "Back from the library I see" Mebuki smiled greeting both children with a hug.

"Right how was the academy today you two didn't get into any fights did you" Kizashi laughed boisterously until Mebuki whacked him over the back of the head to Sakura and Sasuke's amusement as they sat down.

Before pulling out the permission slips "It was fine and no, but apparently we're having a field trip" Sasuke pushed his form forward and Mebuki picked it up to read, concern flashed in expressive green eyes before she passed it over to Kizashi.

Allowing him to read the information on the form as well "And how do you feel about this field trip idea" the blonde inquired gently having gotten in the habit of asking how the children felt about certain things when she felt it would upset them.

"Mm I'd like to at least give it a try, could be fun, informative like Shino said, it is a little worrisome but Iruka-sensei made a valid point to tell us that we'd be escorted by a few Jonin class shinobi all the way there and back" Sakura announced.

Not afraid to do so, Sasuke nodding along with her "What are your feelings on this Sasuke-kun" the pink haired male questioned placing the permission form down, he wouldn't send the two children off unless he was absolutely certain they were okay with going and that they'd be safe.

Sasuke crinkled his nose thinking long and hard about his answer "I'm scared that he'll find out and that he'll change his mind about letting me live, however I think I'd like to give it a go as well, see how things turn out, if I have fun" the little Uchiha finally said.

Sakura patting his hand gently in that familiar reassuring way "So may we go please Mom, Dad" the fuscia haired girl pouted adorably in that way that had her parents saying yes to nearly everything that she asked them.

As they smiled in amusement "Of course you two can go, so long as you listen to your sensei" Mebuki nodded signing her name on the line of both children's field trip permission forms then passed it over to her husband.

Who did the same "There you go you two, better start packing" Kizashi chuckled ruffling their hair after setting the forms on the living room table, upon saying that both children scrambled up the stairs to their rooms.

When they came back down Mebuki and Kizashi knew who was the neatest between the two kids "Honestly Sasuke, all your stuff is going to come out if you leave it that way" Sakura shook her head eyeing his pack that was practically bursting at the seams.

Making him sulk "Could you help me fix it then" Sasuke huffed lightly to the adult's eternal amusement as Sakura emptied his entire pack and then grabbed a few blank scrolls that she drew a familiar seal on, organizing things all nice and neat.

Smiling in triumph when she was done, the permission forms were stuffed gently in a side pocket and the packs were set by the door to take the following morning "That reminds me if your going off on a field trip…." the blonde woman stood suddenly.

Before vanishing from the living room for several minutes "Ah of course" the pink haired male laughed when his wife returned carrying two boxes that she set down in front of each child and gestured for them to open the boxes.

Viridian and ebony eyes lit up in excitement "Really Momma, our very own camera's to take pictures" the rosette squealed the most excited she'd been in awhile taking the camera out of the box with careful hands.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Haruno and I promise we'll take lots and lots of pictures from beginning to end, and everything in between" the ebony haired boy chattered as equally as excited as his friend was because he'd never gotten a gift like this before.

It was clear both children liked the sudden gift and Mebuki nodded in satisfaction pleased to have been able to lift their spirits for awhile at least until they were burdened down by more worries whatever they might be.

"Now before I forget, since you have that lovely colony of yours Sakura-chan, and you'll be gone what needs to be done to make sure their taken care of" Mebuki questioned suddenly remembering the bug habitat filled with an entire colony of panda ants.

After she'd found a mate for her original female, they'd bred like crazy, needless to say the insect was no longer on the verge of extinction the Hokage had even given her a little reward for saving the entire species of wingless wasps.

"Oh just give them water every couple of days along with a handful of leaves or dried grass that's all Momma" Sakura explained even going so far as to write down the instructions and pin it to the fridge with a magnet.

Sitting in his chair the older male shook his head in amusement "Still don't know how you manage to keep the whole colony going Sakura-chan" Kizashi chuckled amused at his daughters interests and wondering what the next big thing would be for her.

"Me either Mr. Haruno but if anyone can do it, it's either her or Shino" Sasuke shrugged fiddling with his camera to get accustomed to all it's buttons so that right off the bat he could start taking pictures to remember for years after.

Sakura rolled her eyes lightly at them, doing the same, even going so far as to take a couple of experimental pictures of random objects around the living room until it was time for dinner only then did she seal the camera in a separate storage scroll and place it in her pack.

Doing the same for Sasuke when he asked before they sat down to eat supper, then after taking individual baths, dressed for bed and got some early shut eye so they could wake up nice and early for the following day.

~Next Morning~

The first to awaken was not so surprisingly Sakura and because she didn't want to leave the cooking always up to her mom, squared her shoulders in determination, then got started on breakfast for everyone in the house.

By the time the others were awake she had quite a pile of bacon and eggs along with pancakes from a box "Goodness" the blonde woman put a hand over her heart at the shock of seeing breakfast on the table waiting for them along with a nice pitcher of orange juice.

Her daughter ducked her head sheepishly "I couldn't wait so I thought I'd cook this morning" the pinkette offered apologetically as she made up her plate and grabbed her already poured glass of orange juice before sitting at the table.

Sasuke simply stared at her in confusion "Since when could you cook" the little Uchiha asked clearly not fully awake yet even as a plate and a cup of orange juice was pushed into his hands and he was made to sit at the table.

"Ah Sakura-chan's been practicing for a long while, you know all those times she followed Mebuki into the kitchen that's when" the pink haired male explained with an amused smile digging right in after giving his thanks for the meal.

It was utterly delicious proving his daughter had gotten her mothers talent at cooking "Well either way if you ever feel like cooking you can Sakura-chan, now better hurry up so your not late" Mebuki smiled and gave the duo a light warning.

They both glanced to the clock and cleared their plates in record time "Guess we'll see you when we get back six days from now on Sunday hopefully" Sasuke shouldered his pre-packed bag and gripped the straps in a white knuckled grip waiting for Sakura to do the same.

"You two have fun and remember listen to your sensei" Kizashi called hoping that things went well on the field trip and didn't strip away anymore innocence from the already traumatized children, they needed to experience good things after all.

With Sasuke in the lead they made it to the academy a little before their usual time "Oh good morning Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun" Iruka greeted kindly when his two best students entered the classroom carrying packs.

That was a good sign along with the signed permission forms that they handed over "Yes good morning Iruka-sensei" Sakura beamed allowing herself to feel excited over the worry for once as she took her usual seat.

Iruka chuckled at her politeness and continued checking off a list to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, only looking up when more of his students appeared and dropped off their permission forms "My parents said no" Ami Himekari scowled unhappily.

As she roughly threw down her unsigned permission form to go on the field trip, her two friends in the same boat "How about you guys did your parents sign" Ino asked as she slid into her now normal seat in the row below Sakura, Sasuke and Shino.

Funny how their names all began with s though their last names differed, both nine year old's nodded "At least your giving this a try" Kiba snorted plopping down next to Ino a couple seconds later, glad that his own Mother had signed.

Otherwise he'd be stuck at home without nothing to do "Old Man Hokage signed for me" Naruto grinned excited that he wasn't being made to suffer through not experiencing something all children should experience.

Taking his spot on the other side of Ino, who kept him and Kiba separated since they couldn't behave themselves sometimes "This will be an interesting field trip, why because we're going outside the village" Shino commented in his usual way.

Before they knew it, they were rounded up to trek across the village to the gates, where their escorts were waiting "Right this is important to remember kids, any funny business we'll turn around and the field trip will be canceled" their brunet sensei faced them.

A stern frown on his face hoping to make his point as all but three of his students nodded sagely in understanding "Now on a lighter note these are our escorts, Kakashi Hatake, Genma Shiranui, and Asuma Sarutobi" Iruka introduced the three Jonin to his students.

Some of whom stared in awe while a couple were wary "Man what a drag this is going to be troublesome I just know it" Shikamaru groaned as they were made to sign out one by one and wait next to their sensei when they were done, in the meantime Sasuke and Sakura took a chance to snap a photo remembering what they'd promised.

The whole process of signing out took at least fifteen minutes, then they were grouped together and led from the village when they got past a certain point Sakura tensed and gripped Sasuke's hand tightly, drawing attention onto them.

"Is that who I think" Asuma who was stood next to his old classmate and fellow Jonin pointed out the two kids wondering if they were the ones who'd been involved in that incident the year before where all the Uchiha except for two had been killed.

At the question a lone onyx iris focused on the duo holding hands "Sasuke Uchiha and the girl that was found with him, from what I've heard they've been having therapy sessions with Inoichi Yamanaka since in the incident" Kakashi nodded confirming Asuma's suspicions.

The little girl's involvement was suspicious as well "Now, now Kakashi this is supposed to be a field trip for fun not serious crap like that" Genma chided not wanting to hear about that again, it was much to soon after all.

Kakashi nodded and fell silent even going so far as to pull out his favorite book to read as they walked, keeping on his guard of course like the others and peering around surreptitiously every once in awhile to ensure no one had strayed from the group.

Until it was practically noon and some of the kids were complaining about being hungry "Since we're out here, might as well teach you and give you lot a lesson in survival, everyone in groups of three and go with one of our Jonin escorts" the brunet chunin clapped.

Taking the chance that presented itself to teach his students about the world outside their village Kakashi wanted to throw his book at the man as excitement rose in the air before he had three way to excitable kids in front of him.

Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka and Ino Yamanaka none of the three children who seemed to be the calmest out of the entire class of academy students "Right then I'm going to teach you how to catch fish then" the silver haired man grimaced behind his mask.

Leading the trio towards the river a short distance away "Oh boy I can't wait believe it" the blonde Uzumaki cheered bursting with boundless energy watching closely as the man before them took out a kunai, attached it to ninja wire and then threw it into the river.

Making a fish jump out of the water, where he quickly threw a shuriken and reeled his catch in "Wow that looks hard if your not a good shot" the Inuzuka Heir gaped realizing that he had crappy aim and probably wouldn't be able to catch a fish.

Beside him Ino shook her head "Even if you don't Kiba, I'll help you get one" the Yamanaka heiress offered kindly, having learned the importance of having true friends and creating bonds over the last year being around Sakura.

~In the meantime~

Genma had led his own group towards the river as well "We're collecting clean water, next time I'll show you how it's done catching fish and all that" the hazel eyed brunet chuckled thoroughly amused at the situation.

The three that had gathered around him were Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi and Hinata Hyuga, Asuma was a lucky bastard getting the most interesting kids out of the bunch "O..Oh th..that doesn't se..seem to hard" the pale eyed heiress stuttered fidgeting with her fingers.

"Yeah and lunch will be done soon right cause I'm hungry" the Akimichi heir complained stomach growling loudly from said hunger as the three of them were handed empty pales to collect water in them.

It was an easy task and soon they were on their way back to camp "This is such a drag" the Nara heir groaned when they had to go back to the river and get a couple more pales of water to accommodate the large group that they were.

Just then a shriek sounded through the air and everyone turned to spy Ino Yamanaka who'd accidentally fallen into the river, then a flash went off through the air "Ahaha that's a good one" the lone Uchiha laughed hurriedly stowing away his camera.

Her eye twitched but with Kiba's help she was pulled out of the river "Now, now Sasuke it's not nice to make fun of people" the rosette chided lightly having done the same without her only female friend knowing and carrying a stack of sticks in her arms.

While on either side of her the two boys carried pales of either herbs or berries "How on earth did you two get camera's anyway" the raven haired Jonin asked curiously having noticed them taking pictures intermittently while in the forest.

"Sakura's parents gave the camera's to them, why to take pictures of course" the little Aburame Heir piped in with an answer having already received the explanation as the lot of them gathered around and their lunch was made up.

Fish slathered with ground up herbs with wild chamomile flowers boiled down and berries to help fill them was quickly eaten before camp was broken down and the lot of them were on their way again making haste so they arrived in Tanzaku on time.

Before they knew it the sun was going down on them and once again two of the Jonin noted how two of the kids gravitated towards one another, holding hands tightly as they reached an outpost town and found an inn to stay at for the night.

"Do you have a large enough room to accommodate everyone in this group" Iruka asked the hostess when it was their turn and gestured towards nine of his students, plus the three Jonin and himself which equaled thirteen people in total.

The woman stared at him in shock, then flipped through a book that held the available rooms "Yes we do Sir and how long will you be staying" the woman finally found what she was looking for and directed a kind smile at the ninja.

"Just for tonight Ma'am thank you" the brunet smiled back as he rented the room big enough for all of them, relieved that they'd been given a budget for the field trip as they were led to the room where futons were set up and dinner was ordered.

He also cleared his throat to get their attention "Also if any of you would like, you can take a bath in the hotspring of this inn" Iruka called knowing that some of his students were probably itching to clean themselves of the grim that had built up over the course of the day.

That got them definitely excited as a couple more flashes went off from Sasuke and Sakura's camera's "Bath time, bath time" Ino cheered grabbing one of the inn's yukata's as it was held out to her just happy to bathe even if she didn't have her usual bathing stuff.

Beside her Sakura rolled her eyes lightly in exasperation doing the same but grabbing a scroll from her pack "Fortunately I was of the mind to pack my bathing supplies and I'll share Ino don't worry" Sakura grinned taking a yukata as well.

A few steps behind them was the shyest girl of their class "W..Would you m..mind sha..sharing with m..me as we..well S..Sakura-san" Hinata stuttered also without her bathing supplies and Sakura nodded as the three of them traipsed down to the bathing hotsprings ahead of the boys.

"Yeesh looks like their eager" Kiba snorted in amusement feeling stupid for not thinking that this would be a possible situation and so he was without his own bathing supplies, thankfully Sasuke was in a sharing mood much like Sakura.

As the lot of them traipsed down to the bathing hotsprings like the girls already had and undressed "So how is it you know the use of the storage scroll, in fact where did you even get them" Genma questioned curiously.

Ebony orbs flashed in his direction "Long time ago, Naruto's godfather Jiraiya came and taught us the fundamentals of fuinjutsu, Sakura's been practicing all this time and drew these" Sasuke explained unsealing his bathing things.

While wrapping a towel around his waist "Yep, yep and whenever I ask cause Sakura-chan's really good at it she helps me practice believe it" Naruto nodded his head eagerly doing as his friend had then they headed for the hotspring.

Carefully easing themselves into the water before relaxing for a moment enjoying the heated water "When do you think dinner will be ready" Choji asked thinking with his stomach again after a long day of walking.

"Probably by the time we get out Choji-kun so don't worry about it so much, just enjoy your bath okay" Kakashi chuckled lightly also taking the chance that presented itself to take a much needed break after staying alert all day.

The others weren't long in following "Ah this is perfect" Asuma sighed letting the heat relax the tension that had built up over a long day of keeping an eye on nine curious academy students, just thankful he'd gotten the calmest out of the bunch to teach survival to.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at him "I guess this isn't as troublesome as I thought it would be" Shikamaru admitted already on the verge of falling asleep but to hungry to think about going to bed right yet.

Very familiar girlish laughter from Ino floated towards them from the other side and Naruto that little idiot had a sudden dangerous idea but before Iruka could stop him "Naruto I wouldn't if I were you, why because Sakura is also over there" Shino warned.

Naruto went as pale as a ghost and took his spot next to Sasuke again, Sakura was one girl he wouldn't mess with on a regular day and Iruka smiled in amusement that just the mention of the nine year old kept the boy in line.

As they finished up with their baths and went back to the room, a few minutes later they were joined by the girls and soon they were enjoying a very delicious dinner and snuggling down on the futons for some shut eye.

It was sometime during the night, having felt no need to keep an eye out after setting various traps two of the Jonin were woken by a noise and after a quick look around found the source of the noise, they weren't the only ones awake, Shino and Sasuke were as well.

"You think it would be okay if we plugged in a nightlight" the ebony haired boy gestured to the socket they were right by knowing that the nightmare his friend was having wouldn't abate until a little light was shining on her.

"If you think it will help" the silver haired Jonin shrugged not seeing how it would help until the thing was plugged in and the whimpering instantly died down and Sakura rolled in her sleep where she was practically in Shino's futon.

He didn't seem to care though merely making room to accommodate her and pulling the blanket up around their shoulders as he snuggled back down on the futon, wondering since when did Sakura have nightmares and why she'd never told him before drifting off into sleep again.

Before they knew it, it was morning and the smell of breakfast woke the nine academy students up from their slumber "Oh boy we get breakfast to that's awesome you know" the blonde Uzumaki cheered already bursting with energy after a good night sleep.

Shino was quick in unplugging the nightlight and stuffing it gently in his friend's pack "Did you sleep well, why because you still look tired" the little Aburame Heir questioned after getting a plate set in his hands along with a flask of green tea.

Sakura paused mid stretch "Had a nightmare but I can't remember what it was about" the pinkette admitted to his relief, though he did scrutinize her expression to make sure she wasn't lying about forgetting what her nightmare had been about.

Thankfully he saw no lie in her vibrant colored orbs and relaxed "So what exactly are we going to be doing when we reach that Tanzaku Town place" the Nara heir questioned one of the first ones done eating his breakfast and just sitting there waiting for everyone else.

Iruka looked up "Going on a tour of the town, seeing the attractions, I think there's suppose to be a festival going on around this time to, so participating in that and generally having fun" the brunet explained.

Wanting the kids to have as much fun as possible "How long did you say it was going to take us to get to that Tanzaku Town place" the Akimichi Heir asked curiously, not looking forward to the long trek they were about to endure again.

"A couple days kids and make sure you don't accidentally forget anything" the raven haired Jonin reminded and the nine academy students after folding up their futons scrambled around the room looking for anything that might be missing.

Even going so far as to hurried run back to the hotspring of the inn and look in baskets only to come up empty handed and return to the room to dress in normal clothes "Ready to go then I see" the hazel eyed Jonin noted seeing how all the kids were shouldering their packs now.

Just like that they were leaving the inn behind after Iruka had paid the rent and were once again on their way to Tanzaku Town "Ugh my feet hurt" the Inuzuka heir complained when it was nearing lunch time on their second day of the field trip.

Understanding that much Iruka decided to call it and had camp set up rather quickly this time as they all worked together to make lunch "Holy wow that was fast" the Yamanaka Heiress gaped at how quickly lunch was set up.

"Y..Yeah th..that wa..was k..kind of fast" Hinata nodded in agreement joining the other two girls on a log as they waited for their fish to finish cooking so they could eat and fifteen minutes later they were on the road again.

More flashes went off before they left though from Sasuke and Sakura's acquired camera's and before the lot of them knew it, it was practically dinner time and they'd reached their destination Tanzaku Town.

Knowing the kids were probably starving at that point Iruka was quick in finding an inn that had affordable prices for the next three nights rented a large enough room for all thirteen of them and sent the kids off to bathe in the hotsprings while he ordered dinner for them.

Only joining the others in the hotspring when he was sure that their meal would be waiting for them by the time they all got out, he was right and soon every last bite had been devoured and the kids were settling down to get some sleep.


	12. Going On a Fieldtrip (Part 2) End

Chaos generators were all the Jonin and one Chunin could think of at least six of the academy students they'd been tasked with escorting as the lot of them woke up and excitement buzzed in the air realizing that their field trip was really going to get started finally after two whole days of travel.

One of the kids kept to himself though and in turn it kept his two best friends close as they got ready for the day ahead of them, they were ready way ahead of their other classmates so Sasuke and Sakura took the chance presented to them to snap some more photo's.

"Must you do that, it's troublesome" Shikamaru groaned unimpressed with things so early in the morning, his hair was sticking up in every which direction while their hair was in perfect condition seeing as they were already dressed for the day.

His eye twitched in frustration at that "Yeah some of us don't like bright flashes going off in our faces" Kiba grumbled still trying to wake up really and not really irritated as the duo in question shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry Kiba, we're done with the pictures for now" Sasuke announced putting his back in his pack to pull out at another time or whenever the opportunity presented itself to him, he just didn't want to forget this trip for the rest of his life.

Beside him Sakura nodded doing the same and stowing her camera away "Ugh I don't think I'm ready to go trekking around this town, my calf muscles hurt" Ino grimaced feeling sore after the strenuous exercise they'd done.

It made her realize that what they were taught in class wasn't enough to really hack it as a ninja, if that's what they had to put up with on missions day after day or for months at a time, even a year or two if she was being honest.

"Do we really have to go on a tour right away Iruka-sensei, my legs hurt to" Choji piped in with a hopeful smile that the sensei of their class would allow them to wander a little bit and rest after their long walk to Tanzaku Town.

The man knew of course that something like this would happen "Eat breakfast first then I'll tell you what our schedule will be like" Iruka chuckled patting Choji on the head and ushering him gently towards his friend.

Until breakfast made it's appearance and the lot of them finally calmed down "Whats first on the agenda then Iruka-sensei" Naruto was the one to ask when all the food had been devoured and the tray was taken away by a room attendant.

"Right I thought I'd let you lot explore in groups of three of course first for a couple hours if you'd like and you can take your time maybe even buy some souvenirs" the brunet explained knowing that the chance to explore would get the kids excited again.

And he was right to as excitement buzzed in the air once more at his announcement "Th..Then wh..what Ir..Iruka-sensei" Hinata inquired, something really needed to be done to help the little girl become confident in herself.

But he didn't know what he could do to help her "We'll go see the castle and have lunch afterwards, around three is when our tour is scheduled and tomorrow you'll have free reign to do whatever you like, explore, participate in the festival or whatever you'd like" Iruka finished.

Ino squealed in excitement at that "Let's stick together, why that way we don't get lost" Shino realized that they'd have a Jonin with them again so before his two friends could get any bright idea's and leave him behind to join another group told them that.

Thankfully the duo understood this "Precisely, so who do you think we should go with, I thought Asuma-san was pretty cool, but Kakashi-san's hairdo is weird and cool, while Genma-san is just weird" Sakura chattered quietly.

"Kid's ready to go explore some or did you want to rest for a little while longer like those three" Asuma approached the trio he'd had following him around for the last couple of days and asked them if they were ready to go while pointing at Shikamaru, Choji and Ino.

Iruka would be staying behind to look after them and work on some paperwork in the meantime, all three nine year old's nodded their heads eagerly and just like that the four of them were gone "Seriously guess I'll just have to be quicker next time" Kakashi sighed.

As his chance to be in charge of the calmest kids passed him by and now he was stuck with his former sensei's son and Tsume Inuzuka's son probably the two rowdiest brats in existence and he knew it wouldn't be simple leading them around on their whims as they left the inn.

While Genma was left with the last remaining girl "Okay Hinata let's go so where ever you'd like" Genma gestured at the Hyuga Heiress who nodded quietly and with they also headed from the hotel and out into the streets of Tanzaku Town.

~Meanwhile~

Almost immediately Sasuke spotted something interesting "Look at that Sakura, Shino, it seems like some sort of game" the little Uchiha pointed where a lone stall sat in the middle of the street complete with flashy signs.

Sakura shot him a glance and upon seeing he really wanted to try it relented to his hopeful look "Guess we're going to go give it a try Asuma-san" the rosette called not sure how she felt about gambling when her parents had only given them limited money.

"Welcome you three which of you will be the lucky one to give it a shot at the grand prize, three nights for free at an inn of your choosing all you have to do is get the golden ball to come out of this little machine here" the woman explained with a kid friendly smile.

One of the kids wasn't buying it though and merely peered up at her with veiled wariness "Might as well why because it does seem fun and there are other prizes to get besides that one" the lone brunet between the children commented.

He wouldn't be one of the ones to try though as Sasuke slapped down a ten ryo dollar the price to play then grabbed hold of the crank to give it a spin only to fail two times in a row to his absolute horror before he looked hopefully to Sakura.

Understanding what it was he wanted Sakura sighed and took hold of the crank herself and together they spun it "Congratulations" the raven haired Jonin clapped when the golden ball came out of the hole.

Just a little shocked that the boy had won the prize in the first place "Sakura's lucky, hey you think we should give this to Iruka-sensei" Sasuke rubbed his nose with a smirk on his lips, feeling extremely proud of himself for having the idea of Sakura helping him.

Before she scuffed him over the side of the head that was "Lucky my ass Sasuke I'm sure you could have done that without my help, but yes seeing as it's only proper we help out" Sakura snorted and Sasuke sulked at her.

"If your so sure that your not lucky sweetie why don't you give the game a whirl yourself, see if you can't get one of our other prizes" the woman behind the counter baited wondering if the girl would be easy to rile up.

To her frustration the girl named Sakura didn't get riled up in the least "Why not what's the worst that could happen" Asuma shrugged when she looked to him, he didn't care that they were just standing there so long as it provided amusement.

"Go on Sakura why because like Asuma-san what's the worst that could happen besides losing" Shino added, Sakura sighed, placed down what was owed then cranked the machine by it's handle and won the third place prize and a couple of consolation prizes.

Sasuke was utterly baffled at that and perhaps it really had been his own luck that he'd won the first prize, but with her prize in hand the three of them wandered away from the stall on the hunt for something new to do.

"Oi kids what about that you could take pictures in the photo booth and have them framed" Asuma was the one to point out the next activity, getting the feeling that at least two of the kids were into that sort of thing.

What was even better thanks to the third place prize that Sakura had won, the three kids had more than enough ryo to spend on pictures "How about, singles, doubles and all of us together" the ebony haired boy suggested.

"Nice Sasuke that way we each have something to remember this trip" the pinkette nodded in acceptance taking her turn first in the booth, ten ryo was all it cost and to have the pictures framed an additional twenty ryo.

Up next was Sasuke, then lastly Shino "Who first on the doubles, why because I'd like to check that out next" the Aburame Heir gestured to the gift shop only to find himself shoved into the booth with Sakura first.

Finding himself so close to the girl after snuggling that first night Shino felt his face flushing before a flash went off and realizing he wasn't going to make much of an effort Sakura wrapped her arm around his arm and turned them towards the camera in the booth smiling wide.

A couple minutes later all the pictures had been taken and framed, in total the three of them spent 250 ryo together "You kids are crazy" the raven haired Jonin chuckled thoroughly amused as the pictures were carefully sealed away in storage scrolls, one for each of them.

Then on Shino's request they headed into the gift shop "Cool, hey check this out Sakura, Shino, think we might find some use for it" Sasuke's awed voice echoed through the shop as they'd split up to look around on their own.

Only drawing his two friends to his side when he found something cool "Possibly Sasuke, but I don't think it's very sturdy considering" Sakura frowned eyeing the price of the wooden sword, pretty cheap to be honest and Sasuke looked down noticing what she noticed.

By the door the Jonin watching them lifted a brow "Indeed why because it looks as if it could break any moment" Shino nodded agreeing with Sakura who pointed out a much better looking wooden sword for Sasuke.

Who was in awe all over again and the price was affordable without the bokken looking crappy "Shrewd little brats aren't you, there's nothing wrong with a cheap bokken it works just as well as the one your looking at now" someone was standing behind them suddenly.

Viridian orbs narrowed "Everything alright" Asuma caught the furtive looks being cast his way and noticed the company the kids had, no doubt someone that worked in the gift shop, Sakura was smart as he'd noticed and walked over to them.

In hearing distance now since the man was talking so low Asuma was horrified "I'll even give it to you half price if you just buy it" the sales person was jerking around the bokken that Sakura had immediately rejected earlier after Sasuke had pointed it out to her and Shino.

"Don't want it that wood looks rotten anyway" the little Uchiha scowled as his view of the bokken he really wanted was blocked when the man stood in his way, he crossed his arms over his chest irritated that they were being bothered.

Sasuke wasn't the only one scowling so was Sakura "Please Sir kindly leave us alone" the rosette requested politely remaining civil despite everything going on proving that her manners had been ingrained in her deeply.

But the man continued and on one such moment his jerking of the bokken nearly had the damn thing cracking into Sasuke's head, Sakura reacted and in a couple seconds she and Sasuke were three feet away in a swirl of cherry blossoms.

Brown eyes widened as the entire shop went dead silent "Sakura-san where did you learn that" then the raven haired Jonin was right there in front of her and bending down to be eye level with the nine year old girl.

Who'd just executed the body flicker technique without a single wisp of smoke, she hunched her shoulders and avoided his gaze gripping Sasuke's hand tightly "It was Shisui-san wasn't it" and the Aburame Heir had to dig the knife in deeper by saying his name of all people.

Paling at the sight of tears the second to last living Uchiha panicked "Come on Sakura it's okay really he wouldn't want you to be sad remember, smile, smile" Sasuke waved his hands because this was the first time anyone had said that name around her since the incident.

Though despite his best efforts the tears were already trickling down her cheeks even the Jonin with them was shocked because the girl seemed to have such a thick skin that nothing could bother her yet here she was crying and he didn't know what to do.

And the last involved felt like the worst person in history "My apologies Sakura I don't know why his name makes you sad but I'm sorry why because I should have remembered" Shino slumped his shoulders looking worried.

Until she managed to dry her tears "S'okay not your fault Shino" Sakura sniffled and thankfully the salesperson left them alone after that to continue their search around the shop and buying a few souvenirs to take home.

The Jonin trailing silently after them when they finally did leave the store to continue their trek around Tanzaku Town before it was time to meet up with the others at the inn "How did everything go" Iruka questioned when three more of his students crowded into the room.

"Had a bit of an issue with a salesperson trying to force them to buy a rotted bokken that he had in the gift shop and Sakura-san cried when Shisui Uchiha was mentioned don't know why but other than that everything was fine" Asuma reported carefully.

Making sure to avoid having the girl in question hear that name again while Iruka cringed knowing very well why Sakura would be so upset, Shisui had been a constant in her life before starting the academy and now he was simply gone, there was no getting over that truthfully.

"Can we go see the castle now" Ino asked when the rest of the class appeared with the two missing Jonin trailing behind them, she knew that she should have gone out to but her legs had hurt so bad that she hadn't wanted to walk around either.

Thankfully the next day that they'd be there, they would all get the chance to wander about again, even participate in the festival "Yeah sounds cool you know" Naruto piped in bouncing around with that boundless energy of his.

Next to him Kiba wasn't doing any better reigning in his excitement "Have you been crying Sakura" that was until Kiba caught the telling scent of salt in the air and after a quick sniff found the culprit as his friend.

Who was the most withdrawn he'd seen her in a good long while, her eyes were a little puffy but she waved to let him know that she was okay, Kakashi shot his fellow Jonin a look but Asuma shrugged "Later then" Kakashi sighed.

As the lot of them were rounded up "Are you really okay Sakura or just trying to act like you are" Shikamaru narrowed his brown eyes on Sakura in concern, hoping that she wasn't relapsing and going back to how she use to be the year before.

But she nodded and flashed him a bright smile "If your sure then" Choji sighed then on a whim opened a bag of chips he had on hand and shared them with her, it really did seem like she was okay when she took a very small handful and munched on them on their walk to tide her over until lunch.

"O..Oh w..wow th..the castle i..is beautiful" Hinata gasped when they finally did come to a stop before the castle of Tanzaku Town and found it magnificent, with that the kids were distracted by the castle and two of the kids even pulled out their camera's to take pictures.

Even group pictures to hand out later once they'd been developed and framed "So what really happened Asuma and don't shrug this time" Genma was the one to ask while the kids scrambled around looking for good vantage points to see the castle.

His eye twitched and Asuma took a drag of the cigarette he'd lit up now that he couldn't get scolded for it, while inwardly debating if he should explain the whole accident "Shino-san mentioned Shisui Uchiha's name and Sakura-san got upset over it" the raven haired man said.

Deciding against telling his two former classmates what had been revealed "Hold up why would the kid get upset over just hearing an Uchiha's name, when by all rights little Uchiha should be the one to cry whenever someone from his clan is mentioned" the hazel eyed man frowned in confusion.

Kakashi had the answers they were looking for "Because according to Shikaku, Shisui and Sakura were very close, he even allowed her to call him Ni-san if I recall and was nearly inconsolable upon learning that he was killed by Itachi" the silver haired Jonin explained.

Now that was news to them as they focused their attention on the kids again "Iruka-sensei before I forget I won this for you, instead of using up the money we were given we can stay at the inn for free the next couple of nights" the little Uchiha piped in suddenly.

Remembering the grand prize situated in his pocket and Iruka looked shocked "Must have cost a fortune Sasuke-kun how did you say you got it again" the brunet chunin frowned hoping the boy hadn't spent all his money on this one thing only to give it to him.

"Won it Iruka-sensei from a kid friendly gambling game, I won something to" the pinkette deadpanned and the boy flushed in embarrassment, so he liked to get risky with things sometimes it wasn't his fault and he'd only played once.

Iruka smothered his laughter at the hilarious antics of his students behind a hand and humbly accepted the gift for what it was "Then we went and got pictures and had them framed, why to remember this for all time after we're grown up" the Aburame Heir added.

Having been quiet until then despite Sakura's assurances that she didn't blame him he still felt like a horrible friend even if he didn't quite understand it still hurt that he'd been the one to make her cry by mentioning that name his Father said would be taboo around Sakura.

"Can we go get lunch now please Iruka-sensei" the Akimichi Heir asked unable to hold off anything longer, breakfast had been hours ago and he was getting hungry again, plus he really wanted to get the tour of Tanzaku out of the way so they could go back to the hotel and do nothing.

To his relief their sensei nodded and after making they hadn't lost anything in the chaos of seeing the castle started on the path to a restaurant that for sure the kids would like "BBQ not bad Iruka-sensei" the Inuzuka heir grinned, practically salivating at the thought of ribs and all that meat.

Between them Ino rolled her eyes "Your just thinking of eating meat aren't you" the Yamanaka heiress snorted in amusement as they all crowded into one of the largest booths the restaurant had since there were so many of them.

Kiba nodded shamelessly as Iruka ordered for them something they each liked "Oh boy, oh boy I can't wait cause I'm hungry believe it" the blonde Uzumaki bounced around in his seat jostling a disgruntled Shikamaru.

Until Sakura shot the boy a look and he calmed down "What a drag but thank you Sakura" the Nara Heir groaned relieved that the seat was no longer bouncing up and down in conjunction with Naruto's exuberance.

Sakura nodded sitting calmly between Sasuke and Shino like usual "A..After t..this is our to..tour right I..Iruka-sensei" the blue haired heiress asked quietly and again Iruka nodded cooking the meat he'd ordered when it came then letting the kids eat their fill.

Then it was off to take that tour of Tanzaku Town an hour later after catching some of the festival parade before the lot of them trouped back to the inn, where Iruka used the free three nights ticket and led his students back to the room they were staying in.

Allowing them to rest or do their own thing like play shogi as was the case of Shikamaru and Sakura, read books if they had them or roughhouse in other cases, carefully though because they didn't want to be kicked out of the inn for causing a ruckus.

And a couple hours later it was off to the baths all around just having fun and behaving like children before it was back to their rented room for dinner, then an hour after that the kids were snuggling down in futons to get some shut eye.

Like always though Sasuke, Sakura and Shino chose a spot far away from the windows and door, near an outlet and once the lone girl out of the two boys was snoozing away a nightlight was plugged in an odd occurrence sure but with a little light shining on Sakura, it kept her nightmares at bay.

Before the two boys wiggled into a laying position, pulled the covers up to their shoulders and closed their eyes to drift off as well, keeping Sakura safely between them just as it had been every single night so far to the Jonin's confusion.

Morning came quick and like the day before most of the kids were pumped up in excitement for the day ahead of them "Just have fun" Iruka told them intending on staying at the inn to finish up his paperwork, detailed lesson plans and homework for the future basically.

"Oh we will Iruka-sensei don't worry about that" Ino snickered ready to take her time exploring this time unlike how she'd stayed behind the other day and hopefully get some good souvenirs to take home, maybe even get a picture taken and have it framed.

At the thought she rubbed her hands together "Yeesh try not to go overboard alright" Kiba snorted waiting for the last of their usual group to join them since he wasn't quite finished eating breakfast that had been ordered for them.

Less than a second later the other blonde of their class was standing with them "Hey maybe we can do what Sakura-chan, Sasuke and Shino did, get pictures done" Naruto piped in looking just as excitable as usual to their amusement.

"Or you could ask for one from their collection later Naruto-kun" Kakashi pointed out no doubt the other kids wouldn't even have to ask, the girl seemed selfless like that and would probably just give framed pictures away after they got back.

Naruto perked up as they were led from the inn and out into the streets to find something interesting to do, Kakashi stuck in charge of them like usual because Asuma had beaten him to the punch again and got those interesting kids.

Speaking of Sakura, Shino and Sasuke had decided to check out the festival a little more that day "What do you suppose we should try first" Sasuke looked around him at all the food stalls eager to try the different foods.

He wasn't the only one interested as Sakura pointed "How about that Sasuke, squid shumai" Sakura announced spotting the sign and together they headed towards it, the last of their group trailing behind them at a leisurely pace.

"Mm interesting flavors why because I've never tasted anything like this" Shino mused when they had three strange looking dumplings made of squid in front of them and after finding a bench sat down with toothpicks to try them.

One each and needless to say they were fond of the strange food "It's a wonder how they can still be hungry after eating breakfast" Asuma commented to himself watching the three kids wander from random food stall to random food stall and try the food that was part of the festival.

Then again these kids were the most active kids he'd ever met so perhaps they had fast metabolisms allowing them to eat when most would still be full "Let's try some festival games next Sakura, Shino" the ebony haired boy exclaimed.

Spotting some games out of the corner of his eye "Could be fun" the pinkette nodded following along with whatever Sasuke wanted for now as they headed for the first festival game that they'd seen since leaving the inn.

"What about this one, why it looks rather easy" the Aburame heir gestured to the game beside them it was geared towards having good aim and he knew that both of his friends were a good shot him as well.

And the grand prize for getting all five bullseye was a chakra powered lava lamp it would be perfect for Sakura, Asuma was rather surprised when ten ryo was slapped down by Sasuke and he was handed five darts.

"Better luck next time kid" the one in charge of the game shook his head when the boy missed two of the targets, though talented it only won him a stuffed kunai that had his face flushing in embarrassment while Sakura let out infectious giggles.

To further his humiliation Shino snagged the camera from Sakura's pack and quickly snapped a photo to Sasuke's horror "Honestly where do they get the energy" the raven haired Jonin shook his head in amusement as the camera was sealed away.

Until the stuffed kunai was put in a storage scroll as well and the kids focused on the game again as Shino took his turn, Sasuke took his turn sniggering obnoxiously when the boy got a stuffed bug as he missed three out of the five targets.

Sakura shook her head at their antics and finally took her turn, adjusting to the weight of the darts, taking into account wind resistance and distance from the targets then let loose instantly winning the grand prize that she took happily into her arms and hugged.

Pleased to have something to ground herself in the case her nightlight ever failed her though neither of her two friends would admit that they plugged it in every night for her after she'd went to sleep, she knew that they were doing it and it made her very happy to have such amazing friends.

With that the three of them, Jonin trailing behind them, went around to try out a few more games, winning other prizes such as a pack of senbon needle for Sakura, finally her own weapons, a glass tank for Shino and Sasuke he won a new pair of sandals having been in need of some.

Before they finally started running out of energy "Yikes what happened to you three" Genma gaped spying the trio that were always together no matter what they were doing and they looked plum exhausted despite it being only a few hours.

"They had fun with festival games a little to much fun if I'm being honest" Asuma chuckled simply amused at their antics as the kids plopped down on the grass at the park to rest and regain their energy a little so they could explore some more.

Genma snorted "So what did you three do anyway" Shikamaru yawned lazily peering up at the sky, this was his sort of thing and he liked it when things were nice and calm and not chaotic like it was every morning they'd been gone so far.

"Tried some food that looked interesting and played some festival games, we all won prizes to" Sakura piped in excitedly fiddling with the weapons she'd won, reminding herself for later to go buy a senbon needle pouch.

Shikamaru lifted a brow "Wh..What ki..kind of p..prizes S..Sakura-chan" Hinata stuttered lightly hanging out with two confident girls while bathing every evening together, had boosted her own confidence a little so she wasn't stuttering as horribly as she use to.

"Oh this and that and a new pair of sandals, she won a pack of senbon needles and a lava lamp, and Shino got a new glass tank for insects" Sasuke flushed remembering that stuffed kunai he'd gotten also listing off some other prizes that had been won.

Even though he hadn't been the one asked he'd still answered "Been wondering something for awhile but how did you three become such close friends anyway" Choji questioned suddenly and the three in question sat up.

"I met Sakura a couple days before academy started and on the first day Sasuke joined our group, why because it seemed only right" Shino explained carefully, not really telling the whole truth since he didn't want to make his friend cry again.

Not after yesterday anyway, for another thirty minutes or so the kids sat there before splitting up to either return to the inn or acquire their own lunches, i.e. Sasuke, Sakura and Shino, then wander around the festival some more for another hour or so.

Until they decided to finally go back to the inn "Did you take long enough you guys missed lunch" the Yamanaka Heiress scowled having been worried that something had happened to her friends remembering that time two of them had disappeared from class for a week.

Without any explanations as to why they'd been in the hospital in the first place "We got food from some of the stalls at the festival" the rosette admitted with a yawn ready to kick back and relax now that she'd had her fun.

The girl blinked before sighing "I don't think that's the point she was making, Yamanaka was worried" the Inuzuka heir butt in knowing that if she didn't say it, no one would and that bothered him a little because he'd been worried to.

Emerald orbs lit up in understanding "Trust us Ino we were fine really, you to Kiba" the little Uchiha crossed his arms trying to act like it bugged him that they'd been worried over, but insanely happy that they had been anyway.

He wouldn't let on to that of course "Good because we don't want you two disappearing from class for a week again, it'd be a drag and way to troublesome" the Nara Heir scowled he'd nearly torn his hair out from the stress of it all.

"Indeed why because we still don't really know what happened" the Aburame Heir pointed out, he knew what was coming next as Sasuke and Sakura had a silent conversation, but shook their heads indicating they still couldn't talk about it.

"Yeah, yeah we know but still so unfair you know" the blonde Uzumaki sulked wishing they would just tell them what had gone wrong, why they looked so sad sometimes but because of Old Man Hokage they couldn't and he knew that.

So did the rest of their classmates "M..Maybe i..it is and maybe i..it isn't Naruto-kun" the blue haired heiress piped in quietly twiddling her fingers shyly as she spoke to her crush and Iruka perked up eyeing the girl with a little shock in his gaze.

Because that's the first time she hadn't practically fainted when talking to a boy, particularly Naruto and she hadn't stuttered as much "Perhaps I'll talk to Hiashi about this and get her hanging out with Sakura-chan" the brunet haired Chunin mused to himself.

Already noticing the changes after a few days and how the changes would continue happening if the Hyuga Heiress got to continue being around Sakura "Why so serious geez" the only one unconcerned about the topic, the Akimichi Heir as they all settled down to relax.

Until it was dinnertime where afterwards the kids and adults traipsed off to take their baths and then snuggled down in their futons to get some shuteye to wake up early and set off back home to their village after a successful field trip.

~Two Days Later~

Late Sunday evening around five o'clock, all thirteen of them arrived before the gates "See ya, got to report in on our mission" the silver haired Jonin saluted disappearing in a puff of smoke to Naruto's awe and he hoped someday he had a sensei as cool as that.

"Right good luck getting them all home Iruka" the hazel eyed special Jonin nodded vanishing on the Chunin as well once he'd signed in of course leaving Asuma to help Iruka walk all his students home individually or together as was Sasuke and Sakura's case.

"Have a good night Iruka" the raven haired Jonin waved hurrying off to home himself as Iruka returned to the academy to report to the principle and note that the field trip had been a success with absolutely no incidents before heading home to eat a late dinner.

Much like most of his students were doing no doubt, chattering away to their parents of caretakers if they had them, like Sasuke and Sakura in particular, until it was bath time where they traipsed off to bed afterwards to get some much needed sleep in their beds.


	13. What It Means to be Shinobi (Part 1)

~Three Years Later~

Less than two days remained until they were allowed to take the academy graduation exams to hopefully become genin, shinobi of their village and adults in their own rights "Are you sure about this Sasuke" Sakura asked.

As they stood before the gates of the abandoned Uchiha Compound "Yeah if he left us some things then we have to find them if they haven't already been found" Sasuke nodded mind flashing back to a few days ago where they'd received an unexpected summons.

~Flashback~

"Hokage-sama calls for you two, your wanted in his office immediately" a Jonin they weren't familiar with appeared in front of them as they were trekking back from the training field they frequented to keep their skills polished.

Both of them looked shocked but hurried to the Hokage Tower at their leaders command "Ah good of you to come Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, there's a matter of most importance we have to speak about today" Hiruzen greeted with a kind smile on his wizened face.

The duo were rightfully confused as the door was shut and the room was sealed, then soundproofed to prevent eavesdroppers or someone trying to get it "Okay what's this most important matter Hokage-sama" the pinkette was just as polite as he remembered.

Definitely having grown into a blossoming beauty over the last four years as well with nearly waist length pink hair and bright willful viridian eyes that burned with the will of fire that had been instilled in her by one Shisui Uchiha.

It was one thing that had never changed "Let's just say a certain someone that your both familiar with left you some things for you to receive when it was nearly time for you both to become genin" the Third Hokage cleared his throat.

Rummaging about in his desk as their eyes went wide in shock and uncertainty "But how and why" the ebony haired preteen scowled in frustration there he went again despite how many years passed Shisui remained the same even though he was gone, making sure to take care of them.

A second later his hand was grabbed and patted gently in a soothing reassuring way to help him calm down as two packages were set before them "There you two go, just be careful" Hiruzen warned seriously of the preteens.

Who nodded sagely in understanding, taking the packages and sealing them away in storage scrolls then bowing low they left no doubt to find a private place to open their gifts away from prying eyes such as his old teammate.

The place they chose was the Haruno House "Guess he wrote me a letter" Sakura grimaced seeing the envelope tucked into the package with her name on it, Sasuke immediately abandoned his own package to scoot over to her so they could read it together.

 _~Dear Sakura-chan,_

 _Forgive me for leaving you like this, by now you should have figured things out, that I won't be coming back from that mission I told you I'd be going on, you've always been such a smart kid after all and I'm sorry._

 _I feel like most of it's my fault you see, getting so involved with you but I couldn't help it, you were so polite and sweet and I wanted to get to know you even though you were a civilian kid hoping to become something in our world._

 _Promise me you'll never give up on your dream okay no matter what happens remain strong and I have no doubt you'll beat the odds, Sasuke-chan to, keep taking care of him for me please for as long as possible and protect him._

 _No doubt he's reading this letter with you so be brave Sasuke-chan and don't blame Itachi, he sacrificed a lot for your sake, just know that he's fighting to keep you safe, the rest I'm sure you'll figure out eventually._

 _Anyway if your reading this Sakura-chan it must almost be time for you to take the graduation exams to receive your headband and become a genin, remember teamwork is key, don't be reckless and charge in by yourself that will get you killed._

 _Getting to the point of this letter I hid a few things before I died, it's in the compound, the map I drew should be on the backside of this letter, go find them Sasuke, Sakura, their yours now and please take care of them for me will you both._

 _Right to end this letter remember I'll always be proud of you, both of you, carve a path that others strive to walk on with you and keep this in mind what it means to be a shinobi is to endure despite the odds with all you have._

 _With Much Love Shisui~_

The letter abruptly ended after that "We have to go find the stuff mentioned" Sasuke declared as the letter was flipped over to reveal the map that Shisui had drawn that would lead Sakura to whatever he hid in the Uchiha Compound.

Even if it meant venturing into a place he hadn't been in, in four years and they'd probably have to ask for a therapy session just in case afterwards because no doubt memories of that night would surface and just thinking about it made him twitchy.

Sakura pressed her lips together "First lets find out what these are" the rosette gestured to the packages in front of them, Sasuke flushed and nodded pulling his package towards him where they were both opened at the same time.

Revealing a book on advanced fuinjutsu each, pouches of each kind of weapon, scrolls full of medical supplies each, storage pouches, a scroll full of blank scrolls and tags, a tag pouch, a pair of gloves and new sandals, plus a survival kit.

Basically a starter kit for when they became genin and started going on missions, though the advanced fuinjutsu book was a nice touch as the gifts were sealed away and the two of them lounged around the house for the rest of the day.

~End Flashback~

"Come on we should hurry before someone figures out what we're doing" the ebony haired preteen urged her through the gates, knowing that they shouldn't be in there, but nothing was going to stop him from finding those extra gifts that had been hidden for them.

"Fine but I'm blaming you if the nightmares start coming back" Sakura huffed closing the gates behind her and facing forward to take in the Uchiha Compound for the first time in four long years, all at once the memories hit her.

And she nearly bolted back out the gates if it hadn't been for Sasuke reaching out and gripping her hand tightly, signaling that he was also remembering everything that had happened "Be strong" Sasuke blew out a breath.

Unbelievably tense as they started down the abandoned streets letting the map Shisui had drew them lead them to wherever he had hidden whatever he'd hidden for them, past the main family house they both cringed away from.

To what seemed like a shed "Oh look Sasuke, stairs" the pinkette figured out the puzzle and moved a tile out of the way with Sasuke's help of course, dust flew into the air making them cough as she pulled out her flashlight.

Brightening up the stairwell as they carefully wound their way down the steps "Secret clan meeting hall" the second to last remaining Uchiha muttered suddenly as he started seeing his clan's symbol on the walls.

It seemed like they'd been walking forever when they finally came upon a locked door "What do you propose Sasuke, we weren't given a key after all" Sakura lifted a fuscia colored brow on her friend, him and his bright idea's she snorted inwardly.

"Kick it in I guess" Sasuke shrugged uncaring, Sakura blinked then shrugged like him and turned to face the door, raising her foot and after channeling chakra into her limb kicked the door, it flew off its hinges with a loud clatter.

Causing dust to fly up into their noses making them sneeze and cough for a couple of minutes "Ugh it's safe to say no ones been here in a good long while" the rosette coughed waving her hand to dispel the dust floating in the air.

Sasuke rolled his eyes "Let's just find what we're looking for and get out of here, this place gives me the creeps" the ebony haired preteen shuddered pulling out his own flashlight as they searched around the room.

Where they came upon a trapdoor after a thorough search "Seriously why go through such pains to hide it like this" Sakura groaned irritated with Shisui for the first time in her entire life and she wished he was still alive so she could punch him for doing this.

"You know he had a flare for the dramatics Sakura, he probably did this to make you put your brain to good use" Sasuke snorted as they went around looking for a key and found it under a loose tile in the corner of the room.

Her eye twitched in frustration at that as the trapdoor was unlocked and they dropped down into it, kicking up even more dust, indicating this place hadn't seen light in years either, but it seemed their search had finally come to an end.

As on a lone table was a plethora of interesting things but only a few of them had their names written on them "About damn time geez" the pinkette grumbled setting her flashlight down to seal the few items meant for her away in a storage scroll.

Likewise Sasuke did the same before they skedaddled "Phew that was a close one" the Uchiha panted as they avoided a patrolling Jonin and fled from the Uchiha Compound all the way back to home up to Sakura's room.

Sakura who shot him a scathing look in response to his comment before flopping down on her floor allowing the tension to drain out of her first before reaching for the scroll to unseal the items she'd received from Shisui.

There was a scroll the first thing she really noticed because it was so unique looking "Is this what I think it is" Sakura gasped unrolling it to reveal empty slots, curious Sasuke peered over her shoulder eyes widening as he caught on as well.

"Probably Sakura, for what summons I have no idea, only way to find out is to sign your name I think" Sasuke commented watching Sakura have an internal debate with herself, before she bit her thumb and drew her name in blood on the first slot.

Before running through a set of hand signs "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" the fuscia haired preteen slammed her hand on the ground and a patchwork of seals spread out accumulating in one spot then in a puff of smoke.

A large bright red spider about as big as her hand was before her "Hello I am Mibojin the current leader of the Red Legged Spider Summons Contract" the spider greeted politely staring at the girl in front of him with all eight eyes.

Curiously because this is the first time anyone had ever summoned them "Mibojin-sama then I am Sakura Haruno, would you like to be my summons, fight with me and you will be treated kindly this I promise you" Sakura straightened looking very serious before the spider.

This being the weirdest thing she'd ever done most likely and it was agony waiting for the spider to respond "Very well then Sakura-sama was it, we of the Red Legged Spider Clan will fight with you and be your summons just remember to keep your promise" Mibojin said.

Accepting the girl before him as his summoner then in a puff of smoke was gone "Lucky all I get is the clans cat summons" Sasuke huffed only to get knuckles rapped on his head for being so picky about his gifts.

"Even if that's the summons you get, they will still be helpful to you" the pinkette scolded lightly before turning to look at the rest of the items she'd unsealed, a medical pouch, full of herbs and some poisons, along with a recommendation letter unsigned of course.

Expert level anatomy book detailing all the pressure points "If you get any more books your going to have your own library" the raven haired preteen snorted seeing the amount of books she was getting from Shisui.

Practically a whole stack of them, plus the fuinjutsu book from a couple days ago "Most likely" Sakura sighed reading over the unique titles of her newest books, crafting poisons and antidotes, advanced functions of the brain, a detailed book on bodily functions as well.

There was even another scroll and out came empty vials, a bunsen burner, filters, funnels, medical tools of all variety and more herbs, some were even rare and not seen around the Leaf Village proving how much effort Shisui had put into this particular gift.

"Kami it's like he went all out for us" Sasuke grimaced eyeing the amount of things he'd gotten with wide eyes, swords of all types, a kit to take care of them, a detailed book on how to learn lightning nature jutsu's and plenty of other things.

Sakura nodded, that wasn't the last thing thing there was a third scroll and what came out of it was more shocking than anything else "Fuck Shisui what the hell you jerk" the rosette cursed, saying Shisui's name for the first time since she'd woken up.

In the scroll was what had probably been all of Shisui's savings from his vault beneath the Hokage Tower or at least half of them "Don't let Mebuki hear you cuss like that Sakura" the ebony haired preteen laughed only to react in the same way as he unsealed his third and final scroll as well.

Apparently Shisui had went above and beyond to ensure they got started off on the proper track to being shinobi of the Leaf Village, his savings would provide for them anything they wanted for quite a few years they were certain as everything was sealed away again.

While the two of them sat on the floor mulling over everything "Oh Shisui I wish you were still here with us" Sakura sighed looking sad and ready to cry, all that had happened in the last couple of days was to much for her it seemed.

Mental exhaustion catching up with her Sakura laid her head on her bed and drifted off into a fitful sleep "I'm sorry Sakura, I should have found that stuff myself" Sasuke sighed placing a blanket around her shoulders and leaning against the bed to think in the silence of the room.

~Two Days Later~

It was finally time for academy graduation exams "Is that a new outfit" Ino asked eyeing Sakura who was wearing a different style of clothing that she'd never seen before while taking her seat in between Naruto and Kiba as they'd grown use to.

This earned a nod "Mhm custom made to be precise" Sakura admitted, not explaining where she'd got the outfit from, her summons were meticulous in ensuring that she had proper clothes that suited her future status as a genin.

So they'd made her a plethora of new outfits, teaching her how to dye their silk to dark colors "You look different as well Sasuke" Kiba noted, another person who'd benefited from the spider summons was Sasuke.

Mibojin had decided that since Sasuke was so close to his summoner that he would receive new clothing as well "Just had some outfits custom made as well" Sasuke commented in an offhanded tone keeping Sakura's spider summons secret like she was doing.

Committing to the lie that had been spun, secrets were life in the shinobi world after all and if someone knew all those secrets they were as good as dead "Wh..Where did y..you get the ribbon Sakura-chan" Hinata chose that moment to pop up on their other side.

Holding off on going to her seat for the moment, a lot more confident than she use to be after continuous hangouts with Sakura and Ino "Oh this my parents actually gave it to me" the rosette said truthfully this time.

Sasuke nodded having been there when the older Haruno woman had gifted it to her daughter, that wasn't to say the spiders hadn't helped out by weaving their silk into the ribbon, making it a lot more comfortable, not only did it provide a small amount of protection, it was fashionable to.

Just to Mibojin's liking "I got something to but their not giving it to me until after we become genin" the Uchiha sulked having really come to care for the Haruno's in the four years they'd been taking care of him and providing for all his needs above their own sometimes.

Eventually Hinata did traipse off to her seat where neither of her row-mates were there yet "Is that a spider, why because its very peculiar" Shino sat down not a moment to soon and spotting the little creature hiding in Sakura's hair whispered that quietly in her ear.

That way Kiba didn't hear with his ultra sensitive hearing, she jolted lightly at the appearance of her crush, face flushing at his close proximity before nodding quietly at his question "Yes, that's Shiruki-chan, summons" Sakura whispered back just as quietly to Shino.

"What are you two whispering about I wanna know to believe it" Naruto joined them with an exuberant outburst and was instantly given an explanation that was a lie but the blonde was so oblivious to it that he just accepted it as is.

"It's going to be such a drag" Shikamaru mumbled joining the group speaking in that same lazy manner that hadn't changed from the day they'd all started the academy, Sakura rolled her eyes while Sasuke snorted.

Shino was quiet though "Keep thinking like that and you won't become a genin Shikamaru" Choji laughed munching on chips as they headed for their seats just in the nick of time to as their sensei finally made his appearance in the classroom.

Heading for the podium and facing them with that same kind smile he'd always possessed on his lips "Good Morning, let me get started with roll-call then one by one you will be called into this room for your testing" Iruka greeted.

Calling out the names of all his students to make sure none of them were skipping before calling the first one up to get their graduation test underway making the others anxious since none of them knew what to expect until finally the Hinata came out of the room.

With an official headband tied loosely around her neck and she was dismissed from the classroom with instructions to come back in a couple days at a specific time to find out who her sensei and teammates would be.

The next called into the room was Kiba, followed by Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Ami, her two friends, none of them got a headband though proving inadequate and not ready to become genin like most of their classmates.

Naruto went in but he didn't come back out, Sasuke and finally Sakura "That Dope where did he go and what happened" the Uchiha scowled ready to pull his hair out unable to put his headband on in peace because the knucklehead just had to run away for some reason.

"Shiruki-chan went with Naruto on my command, she got back a few minutes ago and said that Mizuki-sensei from another class tempted Naruto to steal something" the rosette announced with a thunderous expression on her face.

Making the preteen standing next to her pale and shudder at the anger displayed "Did she also get Naruto's location for us" Sasuke raised a brow knowing that the spider summons were really competent and could be trusted.

As Sakura nodded "Of course and I sent her on ahead to let Mom and Dad know that something came up and that we'd be bringing a guest back so long as we got to Naruto before Mizuki-sensei did" Sakura grinned.

Having a bright and sharp mind proved to be useful, Naruto was her friend and he didn't deserve to be taken advantage of like that by one of their own sensei's it was to cruel for her to even think about doing even if that made her soft.

Sasuke nodded and once Shiruki returned the little spider led them to where Naruto had holed himself away in the forest "Hehehe your not who I was expecting" Naruto laughed awkwardly looking up from the scroll that he'd stolen and spying his two friends.

One of whom crossed her arms "Even if you did fail the graduation exams Naruto, following along with this madness of stealing a very important scroll is not right" the pinkette let loose with a scolding from hell.

Morals just as strong as they had been on the first day of the academy "But Mizuki-sensei said that I could become a ninja if I did it this way" the blonde tried to defend his actions, hurt that he was being yelled at by someone who'd always been kind to him.

"Yeah a bad ninja, you know what those are called rogues, for stealing that, you could be thrown in a cell at T&I, be chased out of the village by the very people you want to be acknowledged by or worse be executed" the raven haired preteen said harshly.

Trying to make a point that while his intentions had been pure, Mizuki's hadn't and the academy sensei had lied to him, Naruto looked as if his whole world had been ripped out from underneath his feet at that.

"That's enough Sasuke, come on Naruto to Hokage-sama's to explain and report Mizuki-sensei" Sakura held out her hand for the boy who was misunderstood with a reassuring smile on her lips in hopes that he would take it.

Just as Naruto was reaching for it a kunai flew between them and she had to jerk back hastily to avoid getting impaled by the weapon "Mizuki-sensei" Naruto trembled fearing the academy sensei after what he'd learned.

Sakura grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes on the blue haired Chunin that was the current cause of her friends suffering "Don't you have anything better to do than antagonize people" Sasuke spat scowling at the man.

Until he jumped to the ground and it was all out chaos "RUN NARUTO, go get a Jonin" the pinkette shouted throwing her senbon needles with deadly accuracy at Mizuki's popliteal fossa and the Chunin dropped to the ground.

"Go you idiot, leave Mizuki to us alright" Sasuke jerked his head gesturing for the boy to start running the blonde sniffled and fled with the scroll of sealing situated upon his back, Mizuki tried to go after him.

But the two newly graduated genin stood in his way "Why be friends with a monster like that, you know he has a beast inside of him don't you, he'll kill you first chance he gets" Mizuki taunted cruelly Sakura was having none of it though.

As she brandished her weapons in his face "You don't know Naruto then, even if that were true, he has never been nor will he ever be that beast, he's a normal boy that has faced struggles and cruelty since he was a child and I will not allow you to ruin him further" the pinkette spat.

Mizuki reeled back in shock at the viciousness she was displaying after being pretty mild throughout her entire academy days "Cause the Dope is family" even the second to last Uchiha was unlike his usual self.

The Chunin knew without a doubt then that no matter what he said, he wouldn't change their opinions about Naruto and what shocked him even more was what happened next when he found himself wrapped in what felt like steel bars.

While an army of little spiders crawled over him binding him from head to toe and leaving his eyes uncovered in strong webbing "Ah-ah wouldn't struggle like that Mizuki-sensei, my spiders are particularly venomous and will bite on my command" Sakura warned.

When Mizuki started struggling in his binding "Sakura-chan, Sasuke I found Iruka-sensei" Naruto chose that moment to return no longer carrying the scroll of sealing on his back like before, their academy sensei in tow.

Iruka stared at his fellow Chunin with disappointment "How could you Mizuki and to try and take advantage of Naruto like that, you'll go to a high level prison for this, also Hokage-sama wants to see you three in his office" Iruka shook his head then faced his former students.

Two of them genin now while Naruto slumped his shoulders knowing he was going to be in a lot of trouble for this "Relax Naruto, the most that will happen is you get off with a light warning since you were manipulated into stealing that scroll" Sasuke assured.

As the three of them started towards the Hokage Tower, leaving Mizuki in Iruka's more than capable hands until they were stood before their leader "Quite the evening that's been had, with a few lessons learned I think, don't you agree Naruto-kun" Hiruzen chuckled.

Naruto hung his head in shame "I'm sorry Old Man Hokage I swear I didn't know that it was a forbidden scroll, I swear I won't do it again, I just wanted to be a genin so bad, so please don't chase me out of the village" the blonde dropped to his knee's.

Clearly not above begging while Hiruzen looked shocked and directed his gaze onto the two newly minted genin, Sasuke grimaced rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and Sakura was shaking her head in exasperation.

"Be calm Naruto-kun your not being evicted from the village I assure you and I know, so for admitting your mistakes I believe you've earned the title of genin" the Hokage pulled a headband out of his desk.

To Naruto's awe and he took the headband with trembling hands tears in his baby blue eyes as they were dismissed before Naruto could run off to his empty apartment though Sakura grabbed his hand "I have a surprise for you" the pinkette smiled.

A little confused he followed her and Sasuke back to the Haruno House "Get everything settled Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun I assume this is the special guest we were told you'd be bringing right, hello Naruto-kun I am Mebuki Haruno, Sakura-chan's Mother" Mebuki greeted.

Giving all three preteen's an individual bone crushing hug "Looks like you all became genin huh, I'm Kizashi, Sakura-chan's old man but you can just call me Dad" Kizashi teased from the living room as they all gathered in the room to sit and chat.

"Ignore him Kizashi-san likes to crack jokes at the wrong moments sometimes" the raven haired preteen snorted and Kizashi pouted and sulked to Mebuki's eternal amusement and she wondered how did these kids turn out to be so serious about everything.

Shocked and still extremely confused the Uzumaki boy had no idea what to even say or how to even ask why they were calling him a special guest in the first place "Seems like you haven't explained anything to the boy yet Sakura-chan" the older blonde tsked at her daughter.

Who slapped her forehead and opened her mouth "For years now I've watched you walk home to an empty apartment and I've always wanted to do something, and after talking to Hokage-sama for a couple weeks about it, this is that, welcome home Naruto" Sakura clapped.

"What she means Naruto-kun is that all of your stuff has been moved here into the spare bedroom, this is your home now to" the pink haired male explained at the still confused look the boy was sporting after receiving that first official welcome home greeting.

This started the waterworks "How I don't understand I think I would have noticed all of my stuff being moved" Naruto sniffled this had been a very emotional evening already, so learning he finally had a family to go back home to even though he wasn't adopted was a little overwhelming.

Beside him Sasuke rolled his eyes "That's because we've been gone all day knucklehead, Mebuki-san hired some low rank Chunin to move your stuff on Lord Hokage's command" Sasuke rapped the blonde over his head with his knuckles.

"Right, right so first is a tour of the house, then showing you your room and finally the celebratory dinner for all of you becoming genin" Mebuki clapped leading the way around the house, letting Naruto soak it all in.

Then showed him to his room complete with his own bathroom before dinner and afterwards the preteen's went to bed, full up on good food and hearts filled with happiness knowing that people did care about them "I think we made the right choice" Kizashi chuckled as he and his wife went to bed as well, Mebuki nodding as the light was clicked off.

And two days later it was back to the academy for the last time ever "Can't believe you managed to get a headband, how did that come about anyway" Kiba eyed Naruto who was sporting a headband on his forehead like the rest of them.

Said boy jumped "Err something happened and Old Man Hokage graduated me personally" Naruto laughed awkwardly, having been told not to give away the truth of what really happened otherwise it would just cause more trouble.

Kiba shrugged use to having those sorts of questions evaded "Did you three come from the same direction this morning" Ino was the one to ask as she remembered them walking together unlike how it usually was just Sasuke and Sakura that walked together from the same direction.

"Mm my parents offered Naruto a room at our house so he lives with Sasuke and I now" Sakura admitted unafraid to do so while Naruto flushed in embarrassment, he didn't have to worry because no one made fun of him for it.

In the row below them and not across the room for once were their other classmates "So who do you suppose we'll have as teammates" Shikamaru questioned looking bored yet alert for some reason because today was the official start of being genin for them.

"Who knows Shikamaru, at the very least we'll have good teamwork due to our close friendships with one another" Choji piped in munching on chips like usual, before he passed a handful around to everyone sharing because they were all friends.

Close through thick and thin no matter what might happen "A..Are th..those ribbons S..Sakura-chan" Hinata spotted the bindings wrapped around her friends arms, even her legs in a jet black unlike her outfit which was a dark green, Sasuke was sporting them to.

"Special wraps to protect the skin" Sasuke answered carefully, not explaining where they'd gotten said special wraps, still keeping Sakura's spider summons a secret, though Shino already knew no one else in their class did and they were just fine with that.

Speaking of Shino he was the last to join them sandwiching Sakura between the two of them like usual "At the very least some of us will be teammates with each other, why because of our bonds" Shino spoke up in that same way they'd all grown use to.

Kikaichu hissing in excitement, the only way they could tell that Shino was excited really unless the person was Sakura as the lot of them sat and chatted with each other until their former academy sensei made his appearance.

"Good your all here, first congratulations on becoming genin, I can't tell you how proud of all of you I am and second I wish you luck, now for teams" Iruka greeted kindly the same as ever like they were use to.

Before he glanced down to a clipboard "Team Ten will be Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi, Team Nine…Team Eight Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki, Team Seven Shino Aburame, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha that will be all" the brunet announced.

Making his former students blink at him "Your sensei's will be here within the hour so please wait in this room" then the Chunin bowed out escaping the expected outbursts of anger at the teams and fled from the classroom leaving his former students alone to wait for their sensei's.

Never before had they seen the man go that fast before and they wondered if he thought they might have a problem with how their teams had been set up or rather who their teammates were "Honestly" the Yamanaka Heiress snorted with a roll of her eyes.

"I agree, though based on our history I can't blame him, why because we can get rather argumentative" the Aburame Heir pointed out reminding them how they all use to be when they'd been little brats barely past the age of six.

Just then the door slid open interrupting further conversation "Team Nine I'm your sensei Kurenai Yuhi" a beautiful raven haired woman with gorgeous red eyes entered the classroom beckoning some of their classmates to her.

Funnily enough it was a team geared towards tracking with an Aburame from the side branch, a side branch Hyuga and a side branch member of the Inuzuka clan and together the four of them left the classroom the door shutting behind them with a quiet clack.

"Got to wonder why Iruka-sensei didn't tell us who our sensei's would be, kind of weird don't you think" the Nara Heir frowned realizing that besides who their teammates were, they didn't know anything about the kind of sensei they'd have.

What they were like, if they were reliable or anything "Hey maybe we'll have one of those Jonin that came on that field trip with us once, Kakashi and Asuma I think" the blonde Uzumaki bounced until he was elbowed gently in the side by Ino.

"Perhaps Naruto but please for the love of kami calm down would ya" the Inuzuka Heir huffed not wanting to be jostled at that particular moment by his teammate, one of the few rare times that Ino wasn't sitting in the middle.

A quick look from Sakura had Naruto instantly calming down as the door slid open for a second time "Looks like it's for us" the Akimichi Heir said as the man beckoned them over to him, a very familiar man that they already knew the name of.

"If you remember me I'm Asuma Sarutobi, lets get a move on shall we" Asuma blew out a puff of smoke and led his newly assigned students from the academy, leaving the other newly minted genin alone to wait for their sensei's.

It wasn't but ten minutes later that the door slid open again to reveal yet another familiar person to at least three of the genin "Shibi-san what are you doing here" the pinkette stood with bright eyes, hope filling her when the man turned in their direction.

Beckoning them towards him "Team Seven come with me, if you don't already know who I am then it's up to you to find out on your own" Shibi snorted and Shino knew that his dad wasn't going to be an easy sensei.

"G..Good luck S..Sakura-chan, Shino-kun, S..Sasuke-kun" the blue haired heiress waved as the trio that were such close friends were led from the classroom like the rest of their classmates and got waves back leaving them to wait for their sensei alone and none of them were happy when he showed his face hours later, Kakashi Hatake.

~Meanwhile~

"So that's your Dad huh Shino" the raven haired preteen eyed the man leading them down the streets of the Leaf Village warily, the brunet on the other side of Sakura nodded silently until they finally reached some out of the way training grounds.

Only then did Shibi turn to them "To get started I am your sensei for the foreseeable future, anything I say goes understand, do not disobey" the Aburame Patriarch warned not wanting the kids to backtalk him like most children were known to do.

All of them nodded sagely in understanding "Right then I'm aware that you've already established quite the bonds of friendship with each other, teamwork should come easy for you, so I'm going to test you on that" Shibi smirked behind his coat collar.

Discreetly sending out his kikaichu and then in a flurry Sakura was gone from between Shino and Sasuke, "You two must work together to rescue your teammate from my clutches if you give up she'll die from poison injection" the Aburame Patriarch vanished in a puff of smoke.

Missing the horrified stares that Sasuke sent after him "That was mean Shibi-sensei" Sakura scowled at the Jonin in charge of her team, Shibi merely shrugged peering through the bushes at the two boys on the team.

He didn't know however that two of her summons was always attached to Sasuke and Shino, who could communicate with Shiruki that stuck to her at all times and alert the two boys of where she was and that she really was fine and not poisoned like they thought she was.

"Your dad is nuts, how do you deal with him on a regular basis" Sasuke scowled, relaxed thanks to Kafu explaining the situation to him in detail and avoiding looking in the direction that he knew Sakura was in.

This earned him a frown "Well I didn't think he'd do that, why because he's never done that sort of thing before" Shino scoffed gaze hidden behind his sunglasses so he was free to look in whatever direction he pleased without his Father knowing while they came up with a plan.

"Master Shino listen, Sakura-sama has a plan" the tiny voice of Ashi distracted Shino in the next moment and off to the side Sasuke tensed so slightly that if he hadn't been standing next to the Uchiha he wouldn't have noticed.

Nodding his head carefully along with whatever detailed plan Sakura had come up with, Shino doing the same until they shared smirks then in a flurry of activity pulled out chakra suppression tags and used the transparency jutsu.

Up in the tree Shibi gave a jolt in surprise as a fireball came speeding at him and just as he was getting ready to cover himself with kikaichu a flare of chakra distracted him and Shibi jerked his head in Sakura's direction.

Where she'd slammed her foot into the thick and wide branch they were perched on and with the chakra added strength the branch snapped sending them plummeting to the earth before he could grab the mischievous little girl she was gone.

Then all four of them were stood on the ground Sakura stood behind her teammates them protecting her "Very nice you two and that was a nice touch Sakura, tell me how it is you came up with that one" the Aburame Patriarch nodded pleased at their handy work.

"I acquired spider summons, three of whom I keep summoned on a constant day to day basis since I signed on with them, this is Shiruki-chan, Kafu-kun and Ashi-kun they communicated the plan I thought up and whispered to Shiruki-chan" the pinkette explained.

Seeing no need or point in keeping her summons a secret from her sensei, showing off pint sized spiders that if one didn't know what to look for they would go entirely missed by an enemy "Before you ask Shisui is the one who gave the summons contract to her" the Uchiha admitted.

And Shino looked extremely shocked because Sakura didn't nearly break down in tears at the mention of the Uchiha who'd been so close to her that he'd been like her brother "Do we need to do more, I don't see a point, why because we already have good teamwork" the brunet added.

Their sensei rubbed his chin in thought for a couple of minutes before finally nodding in acceptance "Then we'll meet here tomorrow at 2 for a two hour training session, come along son" Shibi announced already walking away as he spoke.

Only to be interrupted as the lone girl on the team ran up to him "Um Shibi-sensei I was wondering if you'd sign this letter of recommendation for me so that I can be trained by one of the medics at the hospital" Sakura held out the paper.

Looking very serious and hopeful all at the same time, it was clear this was very important to her and who was he to deny his student the chance to accomplish part of her dream, without a thought he signed it and she lit up like a beacon.

"Good luck Sakura, why because I know you'll do it above everyone else" Shino nodded then the two Aburame's were gone, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to trudge off the field by themselves and back into town.

Heading straight for the hospital "Want me to come in with you" Sasuke chuckled eyeing her twitchy movements in a small manner of amusement until she shot him an unamused glare before nodding as they reached the counter where the receptionist was.

It was a long awful hour they had to endure when the woman kicked up a fuss and tried to accuse them of forging the signature on the recommendation letter and refused to even give Sakura a chance until the Head Medic was called out to the lobby.

Where finally Sakura's letter was reviewed and Sasuke was made to prove he couldn't use his sharingan yet before she was accepted as a medic in training "Everything alright dears" Mebuki asked when the duo trudged into the house looking exhausted.

"Yeah sure if you count the receptionist at the hospital being a complete and utter bitch" the pinkette grumbled still pissy about that Sasuke leaned clear away from her not wanting to face her wrath at this particular moment.

And Mebuki was just shocked that her daughter had cussed "Okay why do you say that Sakura-chan" the blonde woman didn't comment on the plethora of foul language that erupted from her daughters mouth instead got to the root of the problem.

Her cheeks puffed up and turned red in anger "She accused me or rather Sasuke of forging Shibi-sensei's name on the letter of recommendation Shisui-ni gave me as a gift, said that because Sasuke was an Uchiha that she couldn't trust anything he said" Sakura grit her teeth.

Furious over that little bit more than anything else really itching to pound into something and Sasuke inched further and further away from her to Mebuki's amusement growing paler by the minute as well the more Sakura ranted and raved about the hospital receptionist.

"Like seriously what the hell is people's problems with Uchiha's, first everyone was treating them horribly before the massacre and now this I swear to all that is holy if it doesn't stop I'm going to start bashing people's faces in to make my point" the rosette continued.

Sasuke looked like he was seriously about to bolt from the room at this point, Mebuki covered her mouth to stop the laughter from escaping as her husband and Naruto chose that moment to enter the kitchen where the three of them were situated.

"Whoa Sakura-chan you look like a fire-breathing dragon you know" Naruto that little idiot had to say that and he was lucky that she didn't turn her ire on him instead she continued muttering angrily under her breath about people treating others horribly for no reason at all or a reason that she was completely unaware of anyway.

Just like that the muttering stopped "Had a thought didn't you Sakura-chan" Kizashi watched fire light up in his daughters viridian orbs like a lightbulb going off overhead he wasn't to surprised really, his daughter was different after all.

Especially when she nodded and pulled out a blank scroll then started scribbling on it furiously "What the heck was that all about anyway" the blue eyed blonde in the house frowned wondering why Sakura had been the most upset he'd seen her in forever really.

"I got accused of using my nonexistent Sharingan to forge our sensei's name on a letter of recommendation for Sakura to train under a medic at the hospital and become a medic herself" the ebony haired preteen explained for the clueless males.

While Mebuki got started on lunch for them Sakura popping up to help here and there when she wasn't thinking about whatever it was she'd thought up "That would do it" the pink haired male nodded in understanding why Sakura was so fired up right now.

To the point of being scary as most would call a temperamental female, lunch was finished and devoured in record time before two of the preteens vanished up the stairs into Sakura's room where the door was shut and locked, the room sealed and soundproofed as well.

And Sakura turned to her friend "Sasuke I propose an idea that I think your going to love, let's clear the Uchiha name and find the real culprit that cornered Itachi-san into killing off your clan baring him and you" Sakura held out the scroll.

Details written down on it that held theories and such, "You realize that this is illegal right, it's like suspecting our own people Sakura" Sasuke pressed his lips together not sure what his friend was thinking all of a sudden.

Emerald orbs flashed with unbridled fury "Perhaps but your clan was innocent I'm sure of it that day we had where we visited your compound for a day I saw things that I can still remember to this day, everyone, civilians and other shinobi alike were treating your clan like crap for no reason that I could see" the pinkette insisted.

She would go it alone to if she had to "And what you think that Itachi was made to kill our clan off because why" the second to last remaining Uchiha asked in a pained voice because he'd never noticed not even once proving his naivety.

"I do Sasuke, your clan was most likely planning a coup de ta, Itachi-san was probably given a choice, die with the clan proving his loyalty to them or kill them all off, except for you, his loyalty to the village was greater" Sakura said seriously.

Just a few of the things she'd already thought up and she hoped they were just theories as well her friend paled "So then that would mean the whole testing his strength thing was a lie and he wants me to come after him and kill him so he can repent for the sins he committed by betraying the clan" Sasuke finished.

Guts clenching tightly into knots "We have to help Itachi-san, he didn't deserve to have that responsibility thrust on his shoulders like that" the rosette announced hands clenched tightly into fists and trying not to think on the agony he must be feeling over that massacre.

"Then we'll do everything we can to find out the truth for real, gather evidence on the real culprit that dragged the Uchiha name through the dirt and have Itachi come back free of all sins" the ebony haired preteen grimaced.

Not sure what to really think still but willing to give the investigation a chance if it meant finding out the truth and they sat there thinking up more things before it was time for dinner and then afterwards bed time for the lot of them.


	14. What It Means to be Shinobi (Part 2) End

The next day saw Sakura get started on her medic training bright and early in the morning "Suppose I'll start looking some stuff up" Sasuke sighed on his own for quite a few hours for once it would be the longest he'd ever been apart from Sakura since the massacre really.

But he turned down the streets to the library to begin his investigation for whatever reason Sakura was absolutely certain that there was someone else behind his whole clan being wiped out and the first thing to do was look up the Elders of the Village and scrutinize them to find the guilty one.

Information was scribbled down as he read through various books, names, ages, appearance, more than once Sasuke had to pull out a new scroll to write things down on until it was lunch "Find anything good Sasuke" Sakura popped into the library finished with her medic training for the day.

Sasuke crinkled his nose "Yeah Danzo Shimura, says here he's Lord Hokage's old teammate and the most likely suspect I think, he has a lot of influence and a secret organization called Root that was supposed to have been shut down" the ebony haired preteen rattled off.

Having gotten quite a bit in just a few hours, Sakura took the notes he'd written and read through them herself before nodding "He won't know what hit him" the pinkette grinned certain that she was right on this.

As they left the library sealing away all their notes into scrolls and found a restaurant to eat lunch in before resting for an hour and a half "Don't ask me what my Father is planning, why because I have no idea what he has up his sleeves for today" Shino grumbled clearly unnerved for some reason that morning.

When they showed up on the training grounds fifteen minutes early "Okay Shino no need to get your boxers in a twist about it" Sasuke held up his hands knowing that little comment was directed at him mostly.

The lone girl covered her mouth to stop from laughing "You guys are ridiculous sometimes but I love you both" Sakura shook her head in exasperation immediately Sasuke turned red while Shino only flushed in mild embarrassment at the sudden declaration of love.

"Like family right of course" the raven haired preteen relaxed understanding that Sakura hadn't said that because she was in love with him but that she loved him like family the will of fire he should have remembered.

Beside him Shino frowned and wondered if that was true for him "Me to, why because this is the first time you've ever said you consider me as family" the brunet heir subtly questioned just to see her reaction if her feelings were different towards him.

Not that he had to wait very long as a blush darkened her cheeks indicating that her feelings were definitely not of the familial type sort"Of course Shino your my best friend after all" the rosette tried to play off her blush with a wave of her hand and faced away from him.

It was at that point both boys knew that she was obviously lying but not wanting to really get into it right then and there about it let the subject drop right in the nick of time to "Good your all here" Shibi appeared before them not a moment to soon.

Relieved to see his students were following his orders like good little genin were suppose to "So what's on the agenda Shibi-sensei" Sakura inquired politely hands clasped behind her back and his eyes honed in on the little spider attached to her headband.

"To be honest I wasn't really expecting to become a sensei but I did plan out a few things, chakra control training for one, some stamina training and maybe a little bit of taijutsu" the Aburame Patriarch frowned considering his options.

And he was very pleased that none of the genin were complaining "Chakra control sounds interesting could help improve our jutsu's" Sasuke piped in as they were led over to a tree and handed kunai to mark their progress.

"What exactly are we going to be doing, why because all you've done is lead us to a tree" Shino sulked of course his Dad was not going to be an easy sensei for them and it really sucked since it seemed that he had no idea what to do either.

In the next moment Shibi found he didn't have to explain as Sakura sent him a furtive glance and he nodded before she spoke up "Tree climbing exercise, focus chakra into your feet, not to much, not to little, get a running start and that's chakra control" the pinkette instructed.

Doing as she explained and running up the tree without breaking the bark or falling "Basically the amount we use determines whether or not we're able to complete this exercise right" the preteen Uchiha grunted eyeing the tree in front of him warily.

Before trying his hand at the task set to them, he went halfway up the tree, only to go tumbling back down it as the bark broke underneath his foot, Shino was next and while he had better control than Sasuke, he still didn't make it nearly as far as Sakura did.

"This is going to take a while, why because this task is not easy" the Aburame Heir sighed righting himself as Sakura jumped to the ground gracelessly to practice like them, it was clear this particular exercise was wasted on the girl.

Seeing as she already had the necessary control, speaking of chakra control "How did your first day being trained by a medic go Sakura-san" Shibi asked suddenly wondering how the girl had done if she'd managed to impress the medic to keep being trained.

Viridian orbs lit up bright and full of life "Oh yeah you didn't tell me so is it really hard" Sasuke butt in before she could answer and she shot him an exasperated look in response until a smile overtook her face again.

"It was wonderful Shibi-sensei, the medic I'm being trained under said that if I continue practicing that I'll get the second step down in no time, already healed the melon now I just have to practice syncing my chakra up to a fish then I can move on to people" Sakura grinned widely.

Proving to have the talent necessary to become a medic "And we'll support you every step of the way, why because that's what teammates do for each other" Shino nodded seriously glad that Sakura was taking that first step to accomplishing her dream.

Creating her own path that he wanted to walk on with her no matter what it took, with his own determination burning away in his heart Shino turned and focused his attention on the tree, failing at this chakra control exercise was not an option.

Sasuke had a similar revelation it seemed as he to redoubled his efforts on the exercise they'd been set until Shibi stopped them "You'll wear weights for your stamina training do any of you have a problem with this" the Aburame Patriarch raised a brow.

Only to have his three little students shake their heads indicating they didn't have a problem "Nice these actually feel comfortable" the rosette admitted as she adjusted to the weights with ease, they were only five pounds each after all.

While Sasuke grumbled "Sure comfortable Sakura" the ebony haired preteen huffed struggling with the twenty extra pounds that was strapped to his body, and Shino wasn't faring any better with them either.

There was sweat already beaded on his brow "I assume you want us to do laps of some sort correct, why it seems the likely course of action to improve our stamina" the brunet heir cleared his throat trying to keep himself from peeling the weights off after only five minutes of wearing them.

Shibi nodded and gave them a course outline to run then sent them off, an hour and fifteen minutes later the three of them were sweaty masses on the ground trying to cool down "Rest for five minutes then" Shibi shook his head.

Not that he was all that disappointed with his students, they had the drive "Can we take them off now" Sasuke asked pointing to the weights, Shibi contemplated for a moment then nodded in acceptance, only during stamina training.

"That's better" Shino relaxed his screaming muscles as best he could for the few minutes they had to rest until it was time for taijutsu, where his Father made them stand and spar against one another for the last forty minutes of the time they had.

Until it felt like they were about to faint from exhaustion "An..Anything else Shibi-sensei" Sakura gasped completely out of breath, it felt like she couldn't get enough oxygen in her lungs, her chest was heaving and Sasuke looked at her in concern.

"First take deep breaths Sakura-san and second no, we're done, tomorrow we'll do a couple D Rank missions, now dismissed" the Aburame Patriarch instructed lightly sensing that he might have pushed them to far to fast.

With that in mind he knew he should outline a proper training schedule for his students so this didn't happen again as Sakura started breathing smoothly again "Better Sakura" the Uchiha on the team inquired carefully.

And she nodded her head "Much thanks Shibi-sensei, Shino see you tomorrow for missions" the pinkette smiled glad that she'd managed to get her breathing back to normal, today made her realize how inadequate she really was.

Resolved to get better the four of them split up in two different directions "See you tomorrow, why because we're a team" the Aburame Heir nodded still thinking about Sakura's reaction to that question he'd asked before his Father had appeared and wondering what he should do about it.

"Is there something the matter son" Shibi questioned of his son when the boy brooded silently for nearly the entire walk home sue him he was curious yet also worried, had something happened before he arrived on the training field between him and his friends.

Probably unlikely but he was still worried "How can you tell if someone has feelings for you, why because I think Sakura likes me" Shino frowned deeply not sure how he felt himself other than that he cared deeply for her as a friend.

Brows high at that because he had never thought his son would notice such things Shibi snorted "Of course Sakura-san likes you Shino, did you just now realize this" the Aburame Patriarch asked in an incredulous sounding tone.

Earning a glare from Shino in response "I always assumed that she just cared for me in a familial way like she does for everyone else and that Shisui-san was the one she liked like that, why due to their closeness" the brunet pointed out with a scowl.

"Ah but Shisui-san hasn't been around for a long time now has he, Sakura-san set her heart on you instead" Shibi explained a little surprised that he was having this conversation in the first place because Shino wasn't the type to talk about things like this.

Maybe Sakura was the perfect match for him "True what now then, why because I have no idea how to respond to her feelings yet" Shino frowned deeper yet at a loss because he truly had no idea how to really answer her hidden feelings.

"Your own your own there son, I will say one thing however, don't rush it alright there's no need to hurry" the Aburame Patriarch patted his son on the head interested in the days to come as the boy came to terms with his own feelings for Sakura.

Oh he knew Shino liked Sakura but it was up to the boy to figure that out on his own and respond accordingly while entertaining him at the same time "Wasn't asking for your help anyway" the Aburame heir rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as they finally reached home.

~Meanwhile~

Sasuke and Sakura had returned home themselves taking nice refreshing showers before meeting up in Sakura's room "Oh hey you guys are home huh" Naruto spotted them vanishing into the lone girl's bedroom.

The duo nodded and then the door was shut "Yeesh talk about as secretive as usual" the blonde sighed wondering how the two had become so odd in the past several years and it bugged him that nobody knew the reason why.

"Kinda feel bad excluding Naruto, but it's probably for the best" Sakura grimaced scribbling down some more information from the book on Danzo Shimura, they were going to gather all the proof that they could on the man that he's the one who cornered the Uchiha's.

"Agreed, he's the one who'd go shouting from the rooftops about what we're doing, oh by the way do you think this guy was aiming for something is that why he had Itachi kill the clan off" Sasuke frowned.

His friend pressed her lips together "Well being Hokage-sama's former teammate and student of Lord Second I would say he's probably gagging for the Hokage position, but your clan was in his way if I had to guess" the rosette grit her teeth.

Paling at the anger Sasuke winced "How exactly are we going to get proof Sakura" the preteen Uchiha asked warily unsure of what it was she was actually planning for them with all this investigation nonsense.

Darkened peridot orbs met his ebony ones "Use fuinjutsu and then we'll sneak into his office borrow some files and return them later after making copies of course" Sakura said very seriously not afraid to get her hands dirty for a good cause.

"That's a capital offense Sakura, what about your morals that's basically stealing I thought you hated thieves" Sasuke eyed her in horror was this the result of the massacre manifesting itself years later when things actually mattered.

Sakura lowered her head "I know Sasuke and I do that's why I said borrow, we're not stealing it merely making copies and returning the originals" the pinkette clenched her hands into fists even if it was still a crime, she'd do it.

Because she didn't want to see anymore innocent people hurt like that ever again, Sasuke slumped his shoulders "Fine, we'll do it tonight since you don't have medic training tomorrow and then afterwards we can rest up and return the files tomorrow night understand" the ebony haired preteen groaned.

Relenting to her madness and cockamamie plan, she nodded and soon all of their gathered information was sealed away in a scroll before they headed down to dinner "Figured you two might not come out at all" Naruto sulked.

"Now, now Naruto-kun you know how these two are" Kizashi laughed just as boisterously as usual as the duo took their spots around the table, waiting patiently for dinner to get done cooking and acting completely normal.

Though Sasuke did snort "Knucklehead of course we would come out, Mebuki-san would skin us alive if we tried to skip a meal" Sasuke shuddered and the woman in question let out peals of laughter while plating up the food.

And shaking her head in amusement "Honestly I'm not that scary am I Sasuke-kun" Mebuki grinned, Sasuke shot her a wide eyed look in response setting the woman off into another round of raucous laughter.

"Okay Mom stop tormenting Sasuke and let's eat" Sakura smiled wide enjoying the evening meal antics, even participating a little when it prove to impossible to really resist teasing another person until dinner was all devoured.

With the dishes washed and kitchen put back to rights, then it was time for bed "Are we really going to do this Sakura" the Uchiha questioned unsure with the level of insanity this little task presented and that despite being really good at fuinjutsu that they'd still be caught.

Sakura pressed her lips together considering her options "I'm not afraid so yes we're doing this Sasuke" the pinkette finally said after several minutes of deliberation on her part activating the chakra suppression/illusion/soundproofing tags.

Moments later they were slipping out the window and down into the streets "Then I'll follow you, I want justice for my clan" Sasuke blew out a breath as they crept down the darkened streets of the village to where the abandoned root building was.

But when they got there, they found it not as abandoned as they thought it would be "Looks like Elder-sama disregarded Hokage-sama's orders about shutting the organization down" Sakura scowled and as if a thought just popped into her head.

A second afterwards she pulled out her upgraded camera that was good for taking pictures in the dark and started taking pictures "Proof huh, this will go a long way in building a case against Danzo" the raven haired preteen guessed.

Understanding her thought process better than anyone "Exactly Sasuke cause this right here makes me so mad, Danzo seems to think he's above the law just because he's Hokage-sama's former teammate, well we'll put a stop to it no matter what we have to do" the pinkette said heatedly.

Fired up and raging at this point as they snuck into the building snapping photo's of the fully operational root organization, wandering about until they came to a high security area "You think his office is down this way" Sasuke mused.

It seemed likely enough with the amount of nameless shinobi milling about "Probably and that's not going to stop us" Sakura smirked pulling out her pre-made genjutsu tag, a subtle type of illusion that she'd created.

Sasuke shared the smirk as it was slapped to the wall and set off, during the commotion they slipped down the hallway and had to hastily press themselves against the wall as the man they'd only seen pictures off came flying out of a room.

"How long will that genjutsu give us Sakura" the preteen Uchiha asked as they slipped into the unoccupied room and found it to be Danzo's office, they began their search for any more incriminating evidence.

She bit her lip "Less than forty minutes I think so hurry" the rosette informed her accomplice as they opened filing cabinets, flipping through documents and such until two files caught her attention and she quickly nabbed them.

"Come on Sakura let's go, I found a few interesting files" Sasuke urged not wanting to waste anymore time than necessary on getting out of there, in the nick of time to as soon as they exited the office, Danzo came stalking down the hall towards the room.

They pressed themselves to the wall again holding their breaths even though there was no need for it and once the door was shut they weaved their way down the hall around the shinobi they didn't know and finally made it back outside the building.

"I think we'll have to inform Hokage-sama sooner, rather than later about this Sasuke" Sakura scowled the minute they were safely ensconced in her bedroom again with the window shut and locked the entire room sealed and soundproofed.

Sasuke gave her a funny little look at that obviously worried "But then we could possibly be jailed for this Sakura" the ebony haired preteen frowned concerned, would their careers as shinobi end after only becoming genin a few days ago.

"Not with what we found in Danzo-sama's office" the fuscia haired girl admitted spreading the two files out on the floor before her, labeled highly classified one named Uchiha file the other Orochimaru file.

Utter silence and then the files he'd snagged were spread out as well, one on root and the continued existence of the organization, detailed plans for the takeover of the Leaf Village by Danzo and a file on the failure of their last treaty with the Hidden Stone Village.

"Maybe your right Sakura, we can't simply keep this to ourselves, Lord Hokage must be informed immediately in the morning about what we discovered" Sasuke nodded after they read through the files and he was filled with disgust.

Knowing that one of their own had plotted and planned to assassinate the Hokage was sickening to them not to mention all the other things he'd done, manipulating people into doing his bidding "Morning is to far away, we do it now" Sakura decided.

Gathering up all the files and sealing them away in a scroll glancing at a clock which read 2200 hours, he didn't disagree and so out the window they went again, though Sakura grabbed one thing from a drawer in her desk before they left.

Hurrying down the streets again this time in the direction of the Hokage Tower, they were in luck as the lights were on and after twenty minutes of waiting they were let in "Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan what brings you two here so late" Hiruzen blew out a puff of smoke.

It swirled lazily in the air as the two genin shuffled uncomfortably in front of his desk "May I ask if the room is secure Hokage-sama, cause what we have to say is well delicate stuff" the rosette grimaced stomach tightening into knots.

A gray brow rose in response to that before he relented to the pleading stare and had the room sealed and soundproofed, only then did the two genin relax "Just listen before you decide to punish us okay" the second to last survivor of the Uchiha clan cringed.

"Very well what is this delicate subject that you wish to speak about Sasuke, Sakura" the Third Hokage clasped his hands before him, wondering what was going on with the two that would have them so out of sorts.

They were also acting guilty of a crime if he had to guess "We broke into Elder Danzo's office at the supposed to be abandoned root organization building and we found these five files and found the organization still up and running" Sakura blurted confessing on the spot.

Producing evidence for him in the form of files and a camera "That's a very serious crime Sasuke, Sakura you do realize the consequences of such a thing right" Hiruzen frowned disappointed in the two before him and Sakura gave him a very hurt look.

"Yes we know Lord Hokage but after what Shisui said in his letter to Sakura we got to thinking and I don't think Itachi was the real mastermind behind my clan's slaughter, this file here proves it" Sasuke nodded seriously.

Nudging a file towards the Hokage in hopes that they wouldn't be punished to severely for their actions, Hiruzen took it with a sigh giving the genin the benefit of doubt for now and flipped the file open to take in the familiar handwriting of his old teammate.

He was motionless as he read taking in all that had been written down, the Uchiha's plot to attempt a coup de ta, Shisui's plan to use his kotoamatsukami on them to settle the Uchiha's, the plot to steal Shisui's sharingan by Danzo and how he was even plotting to overthrow him.

While using sharingan from the deceased Uchiha as it had been his plan all along to acquire powerful sharingan "Do you believe us now Hokage-sama, I even got pictures that show that root is still fully operational despite you telling Elder Danzo to shut it down" the pinkette said.

The file was lowered "As much as I want to punish you for this, your actions were full of good intention and you might have just saved me with this go home and leave the rest to me" the Third Hokage sighed looking exhausted.

"Come on Sakura, let's go home" the raven haired preteen grabbed her by the arm gently and led Sakura from the office, Hiruzen sighed again, sending out summons to high ranking Jonin, Danzo needed to be stopped at all costs.

~Meanwhile~

Utterly exhausted themselves Sasuke and Sakura bid each other goodnight the moment they slipped through the window for the second and final time that night, heading to bed to get some shut eye after a hard night of working for the good of the village.

Like Shisui always said, shinobi protect from the shadows, they'd certainly felt like newly formed shadows as they snuck about performing their own investigation on the internal affairs of their village to keep it safe from a greedy bastard like Danzo.

During the night unknown to them Danzo was brought in on several charges and after Inoichi Yamanaka took one look into the man's hand found confirmation on all crimes committed along with the plot to overthrow the Hokage himself and was immediately jailed.

"Who got the evidence in the first place Hokage-sama" Kakashi asked confused at how this came about anyway, how had Danzo been suspected and outed in the first place, let alone how they'd acquired the evidence at all with Danzo being such a cautious person.

The Hokage pressed his lips together "For their own protection I'll be keeping the names of the two in question secret, when their strong enough to protect themselves I'll give them medal in their honor and tell the whole village about their efforts to protect it" Hiruzen shook his head.

Promising to keep Sasuke and Sakura safe no matter what it took, the two were bright and full of life they didn't deserve to be targeted "No helping it I guess, even though I really wanted to thank them for their hard work" the silver haired man sulked.

~Following Morning~

After resting with a small amount of difficulty Sasuke and Sakura joined Naruto around the breakfast table "And get this our sensei was like hours late" the blonde was regaling the older Haruno's with the tale of when they'd met their sensei's again.

Not that Mebuki or Kizashi really minded if they were being honest "So how did training for all of you go yesterday, do you three know what you'll be doing with your teams today" Mebuki inquired of the three preteens.

"I think Shibi-sensei plans on having us do a couple of D Rank Missions, with probably a little bit of training, I'm not exactly sure" Sakura contributed to the conversation while buttering a piece of toast to go along with her breakfast of eggs and bacon.

The boy at her side though wasn't in the mood for a heavy breakfast so merely snagged a tomato from a bowl on the counter "What about you Naruto" Sasuke mumbled around a bite looking a little tired but not overly so.

Just a little surprised that he'd been asked and that Sasuke had actually said his name Naruto froze for half a second then picked up "Don't know, bound to be interesting even if Kakashi-sensei is late as heck again" Naruto sulked.

While Kizashi boomed out a laugh "Now, now Naruto-kun think of it this way the time in which your waiting you can bond with your teammates and train with them to improve" Kizashi patted the boy on the back.

Before they all split up to do their own thing "See you later Mom, Dad, we're heading off for training and missions" the pinkette waved when it came that time to head off to meet up with their sensei and mutual friend/teammate.

"Yeah and we'll be back later" the Uchiha grunted making Sakura smile, guilt from the night before completely erased, they'd done a good thing and nothing could make her change her mind about that.

With that they hurried down the streets to their training grounds "Early again I see, why because I don't know what he's thinking today either" Shino greeted in his usual way not suspecting a thing about his teammates.

Of course why would he suspect anything when they were acting completely like themselves "So today will probably be just as random and weird as yesterday" Sasuke sighed and rubbed his face and the lone girl giggled.

"It'll be fun though no doubt so don't complain Sasuke" Sakura grinned in the next moment she coerced her teammates to meditate with her a little just until their sensei deemed it necessary to arrive which was twenty minutes later.

Shibi watched them for a couple of seconds "Up on your feet you three and I'll tell you what it is we'll be doing today" Shibi ordered giving them plenty of time to come to their senses, none of them hesitated and soon they were lined up before him to his relief.

"Right, I've decided two D Rank Missions to start us off, then we'll continue our chakra control and stamina training from the other day" the Aburame Patriarch explained, his students nodding in acceptance as they trekked to the Hokage Tower.

On the way there they met up with another team "Oh hey there Sakura been a couple of days hasn't it" Ino greeted relieved to see the girl again, keeping up with friends was hard when first starting out as a genin it seemed.

The girl perked up "Hey Ino and yeah it has, our first day off we'll have to get together with Hinata" the pinkette suggested as they waited in line patiently to receive some missions like many others before them were doing.

Ino nodded seriously at that already planning a huge day for them no doubt "Make some time to come to the Nara Compound to play shogi, it's a drag winning against everyone and their dog all the time" Shikamaru grumbled missing his shogi partner.

"I'm not that bad Shikamaru-kun" Asuma rolled his eyes in exasperation, sue him he sucked at shogi but at least he was making the effort to play the game and learn it for the sake of his shogi obsessed student.

"Look the lines moving up" the second to last Uchiha pointed out distracting them from further conversation, though they were still no where near the front and Shibi was honestly beginning to rethink his decision to start his students on missions so late in the day.

Just as he thought that the line moved a little quicker all of a sudden "Guess we're up" Choji sighed munching on his usual bag of chips as Team Ten was given three D Rank Missions to complete on their sensei's request before they were gone from mission central.

"Here to get two D Rank Missions to start them off" Shibi cleared his throat still awkward about leading a team of genin around and with that two missions were chosen and the scrolls with details were handed over as the lot of them hurried off.

The missions were simple "Get rid of a pesky insect in a young couples home, relocate a beehive" the brunet heir listed in confusion why were the D Rank Missions bug related, was his Father trying to drive them mad.

Sakura merely pressed a hand over her mouth to keep from guffawing in laughter as Shino went eerily silent, eyebrow twitching in frustration while Shibi became amused at his son's reaction and Sasuke shook his head "Let's just get this missions over with so we can train" Sasuke grunted.

"Your right no point in arguing about them Shino, missions are mission even if they are bug related" Sakura nodded lips twitching madly as she fought to keep down the laughter and the smile that wanted to break out across her face.

As they started in the direction of the young couples home, the preteen glared at his Father from behind his sunglasses and took his place on the other side of Sakura "Well at least these missions will be easy why because we are rather good with insects" Shino sighed.

Determined to keep his head held high as they arrived at their destination for their first D Rank Mission, the young couple was happy to see them as they searched carefully around the house for the pesky insect that kept bothering them.

Until they found it "Is that normal for an insect to be that huge" the youngest Uchiha remaining paled seeing how big the insect actually was now that they'd uncovered it's hiding spot in the young couples house.

"Some get bigger than that, also if you two don't mind could we ask you to step outside this could get a little messy" the rosette warned cracking her knuckles, she didn't want to kill it sure but the thing wouldn't be easy to catch even in a confined space.

Quickly the young couple exited their home leaving the removal of the pesky annoyance in their home to the genin while their sensei joined them "Ready your net's Sasuke, Sakura, why because this one can fly it's a goliath beetle" the Aburame Heir warned.

Sakura hastily unsealed her two bug nets and handed one to Sasuke as Shino sent out a swarm of his kikaichu to cover the beetle the chase was on as it took off dodging the first swipe of a net from Sasuke who biffed it and hit the floor as he tripped over the edge of a rug.

Kikaichu beetles on it's tail Sakura focused chakra into her feet and leaped into the air, expertly wielding her bug net though missing by a millimeter as the goliath beetle clipped it and she landed deftly on her feet.

"Damn that thing" Sasuke grumbled unhappy as the beetle disappeared on them and he dusted off his shorts, next time he wouldn't trip like an idiot as they went on the search for it again, thanks to Shino's beetle's it was easily found.

And they crowded around it "Thought as much, it hurt it's wing earlier" Sakura murmured when it didn't take very much effort to catch the goliath beetle after finding it for a second time and it was safely placed in her glass tank.

With that after thirty minutes their first D Rank Mission came to an end "Finished already that was fast or did you fail" the Aburame Patriarch chuckled as the kids came outside, clothes and hair ruffled from chasing after an insect.

"We're finished and no we didn't fail, why because the insect is right here, Sakura is going to take care of it" Shino gestured to the tank in his hand and the young couple let out a gasp at catching sight of the annoyance that had been in their home.

The only thing they could really say was that it was huge as the mission was marked down complete with good feedback "Now on to the next" the Uchiha on the team declared ready to kick back and do some normal training already.

Relocating a beehive was a lot harder than initially anticipated "Should have just considered this a bloody C Rank Mission instead of D Rank" the pinkette growled wincing as she was stung again and picked the stinger out of her skin.

Shibi completely amused and standing at a safe distance "Perhaps, why because we weren't told we'd be the only ones doing this" the brunet heir scowled unhappily but in the end they finished the mission and traipsed back to the Hokage Tower to report in that both missions were complete.

Then afterwards they were led to their training grounds to work on chakra control and increased their stamina "No Sakura-san, since you already understand the tree-climbing exercise, you'll work on the water-walking exercise instead" Shibi shook his head.

When she stood in front of a tree "Good luck Sakura, I'm sure tomorrow we'll be joining you" Sasuke waved the girl off as excitement lit up her features, she was the chakra control expert among them after all.

If she got it down before tomorrow she'd be able to help them hopefully "Yes, why because our sensei is contrary like that" Shino snorted focusing chakra into his feet and after getting a running start climbed the tree.

Knowing better than to argue and actually excited to improve her chakra control Sakura headed over to the lake "Okay I think if I remember, the trick to water walking is to keep the chakra consistent" Sakura thought out loud.

Focusing her chakra into her feet and quickly stepping out onto the lake only to reapply chakra immediately to her feet as she walked around slowly of course adjusting to the exercise, Shibi wasn't surprised in the least.

He was actually expecting her to get the exercise down just not that quickly though, he expected a couple of failures to start with but her chakra control proved to be way above the standard for genin who'd only been a genin for a few days to be precise.

Then once they'd exhausted themselves of chakra he gave them an outline of laps to run, made his students wear weights again and set them off until they were ready to be done for the day, though at least Sakura wasn't near a full blown attack like yesterday as he released them until tomorrow.

With that the four of them headed home "How did your first missions go, oh my heavens" Mebuki asked only to nearly scream at the giant beetle trapped in a tank her daughter was carrying "You aren't keeping it are you Sakura" the blonde narrowed her eyes.

Sakura bit her lip "Err it got injured I'm just going to take care of it for awhile before I release it and our missions went well though they were both bug related" the rosette answered carefully hoping that her mother wouldn't kick up to much of a fuss.

Mebuki relented and she quickly vanished upstairs to her bedroom to place the goliath beetle in a much larger tank, her second bug habitat that had a population of one now, checked on her colony of panda ants then hurried back downstairs for dinner.

"Are those bee stings Sakura-chan" Kizashi asked in concern at the welts on his daughters arm, just a couple of them sure but it was cause for alarm at how red they were, Sakura looked down and nodded with a little glare.

"One of our missions was to relocate a beehive" the raven haired preteen explained showing off his own welts that were the same shade of red, they itched to, but he didn't dare not after Sakura had warned him not to.

Kizashi frowned "So long as you take care of yourselves please" the pink haired male sighed one of the few times he was completely serious and the two almost teenagers nodded seriously in understanding.

Eight minutes later they were joined by Naruto, who ranted and raved about the D Rank Missions that he'd had to do all day before it was time to eat where they headed to bed early since there were plans for the following day.


	15. Mission From Hell (Part 1)

Bug related missions and training like that lasted for a solid month for Team Seven, and during this time Shino was conflicted, he didn't know whether to tell Sakura that he cared about her that way or keep his feelings secret while they worked hard on their missions and training.

Until one day "Two of you will be going on a C Rank Mission, Sasuke, Sakura you'll be joining Team Eight temporarily for the next month, Shino, Kiba and Hinata will be your replacement teammates for the time being" Shibi informed them.

"What who the heck decided that it was a good idea to split us up, even if Naruto the Knucklehead is our friend we've never been able to get in sync with him" Sasuke grumbled not happy in the least about the sudden change.

Or the fact that they'd be going off on a mission without Shino and their sensei "Come on Sasuke we might be able to now, we've been genin for a month after all, he might have improved" Sakura soothed patting Sasuke on the hand gently like she use to and haven't had to do for awhile.

Not since he'd let go of his anger towards Itachi after finding the true culprit that had dragged his family name through the mud, Shino clenched his hands into fists "Just make sure to come back safe, why because we're teammates" Shino grit out.

It was hard separating from his teammates now that they'd finally established a good foundation of teamwork with each other, but it was harder letting Sakura out of his sights since he'd figured out his feelings for her.

Shibi grimaced behind his high jacket collar cursing Kakashi Hatake within the safety of his mind "It's only a month now I suggest you get home and start packing the mission starts tomorrow at 0800 hours" the Aburame Patriarch ordered of his students.

Sasuke grit his teeth but turned and began trudging off "Guess we'll see you in a month, take care of yourself Shino, Sensei" the Uchiha grunted with a wave until he was out of sight, Sakura passed a hand through her hair and sighed.

And took a step forward to go home as well and do as told "Hold up Sakura" the Aburame Heir grabbed her by the wrist in a panic, suddenly fearing that he wouldn't see her again, she was strong but C Rank Missions could turn dangerous in the blink of an eye.

Emerald orbs shot towards him "Everything okay Shino, you seem a little pale" the pinkette frowned concerned that he wasn't doing well and without really thinking it through pressed a hand to his forehead checking his temperature as she was being taught.

Medic training was going very well for her at this point and she'd even earned herself a spot as an intern at the hospital "I'm fine, why because I have faith in you, however I'd like you to take this for good luck" Shino rambled so unlike himself.

While holding out a little pouch "Female Kikaichu scent bag wow thanks Shino" Sakura smiled wide immediately knowing what the good luck charm was and threw her arms around Shino hugging him tight.

To which he returned the hug "Should anything happen send word with Shiruki-san" Shibi cleared his throat, reluctant to ruin the moment and the two teens jumped away from each other as if they were on fire.

Cheeks red "Right and with that I'm off take care Shino, Shibi-sensei" Sakura waved hurrying off as her heart beat harshly against her ribs, face flushed in embarrassment because that was the first time Shino had ever returned one of her hugs like that.

Not to mention it had lasted for several minutes longer than she was use to "Are you okay Sakura, your face is all red" Sasuke asked when she finally caught up with him, Sakura nodded in answer as the blush went away.

And they finally arrived home "Back already, did your sensei fail you or something" Kizashi laughed boisterously as they were use to and the two preteen's shared an amused smile at the older man's antics.

"Outside the village mission actually, Sasuke and I were assigned temporarily to Naruto's team for his C Rank Mission" the rosette explained to her Father, then vanished up the steps to her room to get started on packing.

Lots of preparations needed to be done before she would consider her ready to go on her first outside the village mission ever "Understandable I guess, Sakura-chan is the only medic of her generation" the pink haired male mused.

"Don't worry Kizashi-san I'll make sure nothing happens to her on this mission alright" the ebony haired preteen bowed low before one of the adults that had taken him so long ago that they were practically a second set of parents to him now despite not being adopted by them.

Then did as Sakura did and disappeared to his room "This is going to be one lonely month huh Kizashi" Mebuki sighed realizing that all three of the children would be flying the coop so to speak and she wasn't sure how she'd cope without them there as she was use to.

Kizashi pressed his lips together and joined his wife on the couch so they were sitting side by side "Let us hope they come home to us alright" the blonde prayed, nothing was ever simple with her daughter after all.

"Can you believe it Sakura-chan, Sasuke, we're going on a mission together" Naruto burst out when he caught sight of his friends padding back and forth between their rooms, a pile of things in their arms with each pass.

He frowned when they ignored him "You guys even listening" the blonde sulked a little put out that they weren't even acting excited that they'd been slated for a mission, the three of them all at once due to his own sensei's request.

"Sorry Naruto and yes we were listening, but packing properly for missions is very important as you know" Sakura reminded gently looking over the medical tool in her hand before tossing it in the trash, pulling out a notebook to make a list of things they'd need from the market.

Now even more put out "Aren't you guys even a tiny bit excited, I know I am, even though the guy we're escorting is a drunk and called me short" Naruto ranted and raved not wanting to be excluded anymore from their close friendship.

Sakura sighed "Naruto as much as we want to placate you and tell you we're excited, we're not really, Shino is our ideal teammate, how can we be sure that our teamwork will be flawless with you added in the mix, we can't and we didn't ask for this mission anyway" Sasuke scowled.

Already irritated and Naruto wasn't helping things in the least by behaving like the child he still was, Naruto's mouth opened and close "Geez what's your problem Teme, no need to take it out on me you know" the blonde snapped and then slammed his door shut.

"Oh bother way to go Sasuke, I'll deal with him, you just take this list and five hundred ryo, and go to the market please" the pinkette sighed looking exhausted as she headed for the shut bedroom door that belonged to the sensitive Uzumaki.

"Right I feel like such an ass, tell him I'm sorry will ya" the ebony haired preteen groaned, he could have said that in a different way but no, he had to be blunt and to the point which resulted in a negative reaction.

With that he was on the way to the market to get the huge list Sakura had scratched down for him while she knocked on Naruto's door "Leave me alone" Naruto called from within sulking from his blowup with Sasuke.

She crinkled her nose "It's me Naruto and you probably don't want to hear this but Sasuke is sorry for saying all that in a way that hurt your feelings" Sakura called back leaning with her back against the door and staring at the ceiling as she talked.

For a few moments she thought that he wouldn't come out until the door knob clicked and she leaned forward hastily to avoid falling "Just don't understand how you two can't be excited about our first ever C Rank Mission" the blonde sniffed.

Cringing Sakura attempted to find a way to placate her friend over that "A C Rank Mission is something to be excited over sure, but with how sudden it is all we get is a bad feeling from it" the rosette settled on simply telling the truth.

And the Uzumaki boy looked curious "Bad feeling like how Sakura-chan" Naruto frowned loosing a little of his enthusiasm for the mission he had wanted so badly, his friend tapped her lip in thought trying to figure out the best way to explain to him what she felt.

"Like trouble is headed our way it's an innate feeling Naruto, Sasuke picks up on that due to our closeness and the last time I felt this bad feeling nothing good came from it" Sakura said omitting the rest because it was forbidden to tell.

Maybe someday but it wouldn't be that day or any time soon, thirty minutes later the missing preteen returned carrying an abundance of things in his arms "Took forever to find all this stuff" Sasuke grunted glaring at Sakura.

Who smiled innocently not that he believed it for a second really "Can you guys help me pack to, you said it was important to know how to pack for a mission properly right and I'm sure I didn't do it right so will you help me" the blonde asked.

Determined to not be a burden on his temporary teammates, they both looked at him and then shared grins "Of course we can Naruto, get your pack and bring it to mine" the pinkette clapped her hands disappearing into her room.

"Go on I'll join you in a moment" the Uchiha shooed him off and he zipped back into his room to grab his pack then hurried next door into Sakura's room where she had a pile of stuff on the floor to his absolute amazement.

He wondered what most of that stuff was for as Sasuke joined them and they all sat on the floor "First empty your pack Naruto, let me see what you've got so far" Sakura instructed her and Sasuke's packs completely empty right now.

"We might have to get more just in case" Sasuke frowned eyeing the scattering of objects, a half a roll of ninja wire, dulled weapons, a few smoke bombs and a couple of exploding tags, no clothes, no food or water supplies, or medical supplies in the least.

The blonde caught his expression immediately "I'm guessing I'm terrible at packing you'll just have to teach me" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly feeling like the idiot he was always being called.

Sakura patted his arm gently "Pretty horrible, anyway what you want to do first is make sure you have plenty of clothes so take this scroll, Naruto, Sasuke and seal a couple weeks worth of clothes into it along with some laundry detergent and an extra pair of sandals" the fuscia haired preteen said.

Ushering the two boys off to their rooms as she did the same, raiding her dresser for mission appropriate clothes "Allow me Sakura-sama" Mibojin popped into existence in a plume of smoke having the ability to summon himself at will for his summoners sake.

Quickly he set to work, upgrading her clothes by weaving his silk into them, Sakura watching him work with a fond smile on her lips until he was finished giving her clothes a small level of protection, they'd be harder to destroy now and as a reward he was given some nice juicy flies.

Before he disappeared in a plume of smoke right as the boys returned "What do you think Sakura-chan did I do alright" the blonde asked as she checked over the amount of clothes that he'd sealed within, nodding in acceptance and sealing it all back up with a bottle of detergent.

Sasuke was next and soon their clothes supply scroll was placed in their empty packs "Okay now what Sakura" the raven haired preteen questioned still unsure if they were going about this the right way, the mission might not even last a whole month after all.

"Essentials for grooming, a couple of towels, body wash, shampoo, conditioner and a couple of rags for washing, toothpaste, toothbrush and hair brush or comb that's it" Sakura listed off and the three of them traipsed off to their bathrooms for their personal stuff.

That scroll was added to the pack once they returned to Sakura's bedroom "Are you really gonna take along all those medical supplies" Naruto asked when Sakura started loading up her medical pouch with a ton of stuff.

Five rolls of bandages, chakra, energy and blood replenishing pills, antidotes to common poisons in pill form, medical tools of all varieties, herbs of all kinds, and a mortar and pestle to complete the pouch which was set off to the side.

"Medics have it rough don't they" Sasuke grimaced as they started on their own medical supply scrolls, thankfully having enough to split with Naruto since he had none whatsoever until it was added to their quickly filling packs.

Next to be added to the pack was an extra weapons scroll, whetstones, kunai, shuriken in the case of Sakura her favorite throwing needles, makibishi spikes, smoke bombs, a couple of full rolls of ninja wire and tags of all manners, exploding, genjutsu, illusion and elemental.

Pouches were refilled as well, weapons were sharpened and soon the trio moved onto their food/water supply scroll, along with a survival kit scroll for extra "Kami this is ridiculous, are you sure we really need all this stuff Sakura-chan" the blonde stared in horror at the amount of stuff they were packing.

But Sakura nodded seriously "Yes Naruto packing for a mission properly could be the deciding factor between life or death for us" the pinkette said while Sasuke grimaced thinking maybe they should go see Inoichi for another therapy session after the mission was over and done with.

"It's better to over-prepare and not need the stuff than to not prepare and need it basically is what Sakura is saying" the Uchiha added explaining a little better to the knucklehead why they were taking such pains to ensure they were properly packed for their mission.

The answer was accepted as they moved on to adding other essentials they thought would be useful, fuinjutsu books, elemental books and after asking Naruto where the mission was taking place a book on herbs was added to Sakura's storage pouch until she deemed them done.

Only then did they relax on her bedroom floor just lounging about really until it was dinner time "Did you three get done packing" Mebuki inquired of the children, one her own daughter and the other two were like her own sons despite that not being true.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask again after they came back from this mission "Yes Mom, everything from grooming essentials, to clothing, food, water, medical supplies, extra weapons and some books as well" Sakura ticked off her fingers.

While the boys held their heads and groaned "Poor Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, it's hard being around a girl isn't it" Kizashi grinned only to get whacked over the head with the spoon his wife loved to carry around for exactly that reason.

"And don't worry I'll make sure we come back safe" Sasuke added glancing to Sakura who was humming and lost in her own little world right now, he had to for their sake and Shino's who wouldn't admit that he liked Sakura like she liked him.

"So please don't worry about us to much okay Mrs and Mr Haruno" Naruto piped in impatiently waiting for dinner to be set before him so they could all eat and then after taking a late shower or in Sakura's case a bath the three of them went to bed early after setting their alarms.

~Following Morning~

Exactly at 0600 hours Sakura was the first one awake and seeing her chance to commandeer the kitchen took it so she could make breakfast for once it wasn't more than five minutes later that she was joined by a half awake Sasuke.

Who sat and plopped his head on the table watching her pad about the kitchen until he was fully functional "Dope probably forgot to set his alarm" the ebony haired preteen snorted lightly in amusement as Sakura cracked some eggs and whisked them with salt and pepper.

"Nu-uh Sasuke, Sakura-chan made me do it last night before we went to bed remember and since when could you cook Sakura-chan this is the first time I've ever seen you working the kitchen" the blonde sat at the table and stuck his tongue out already awake and full of energy.

He'd just taken a little longer to get ready because he couldn't find his sandals "Since we had that day at the Akimichi Compound where we looked how to cook, I've been practicing" the pinkette admitted lightly.

Finishing up by making a freshly squeezed pitcher of orange juice for them, then went about dividing up the food and leaving plenty enough for her parents as they dug in after giving their thanks for the meal.

And they even got in some last minute preparations, going to the market and buying extra food and water supplies before it was time to head to the gates when they arrived there was an extra person waiting for them there.

"Thought I'd see you off, why because friends do that for each other and wish them good luck on missions" Shino greeted at their appearance, each of them sporting packs, he looked them over critically and frowned, the packs weren't even halfway full.

"Is that going to be enough for your mission" the Aburame Heir gestured at the packs only to get grins, he should have known that they'd make use of the storage scroll to pack their things and still have extra room in their packs.

Before he could really get into it Team Eight's Sensei arrived with the Client for the C Ranked Mission "Good you three are here, Naruto already knows but this is Tazuna, the master bridge builder we're escorting home" Kakashi jumped right in to introducing Tazuna to the other genin.

Tazuna who eyed them with extreme suspicion "Maybe we could leave girly behind, she looks completely unreliable like that short one with the stupid look on his face and don't even get me started on that one, he looks like he'd kill me himself if given the chance" Tazuna grumbled.

Completely and utterly drunk, Kakashi grimaced behind his mask "If I were you Tazuna-san I'd watch what you call us if you don't want to find yourself abandoned and facing down a bandit I don't take kindly to insults and I especially don't appreciate you insulting Naruto and Sasuke either" Sakura snapped.

"Sakura-chan is right, we were chosen as your escorts, if you can't give us a little respect then it's not worth it guarding you" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest sticking up for himself and Tazuna paled because he hadn't thought these mere brats had guts like that.

And the last one was silent "We should probably get started on this mission" Sasuke sighed as the five of them signed out, Sakura waving to Shino as they headed in the direction of the Land of Waves to ensure Tazuna made it home alright.

Even if a couple of the genin wanted to punch his daylights out for his insults to their skills "You've changed Sakura-chan, you use to be so polite to people" the silver haired Jonin commented when they were approximately two miles away from the Leaf Village.

Viridian orbs flashed in his direction "Still am Kakashi-sensei only to those that deserve it as it is I don't trust him in the least, why so afraid that you'd need a shinobi escort unless there were more than bandits after you" the pinkette narrowed her eyes on Tazuna.

Who went completely rigid and started sweating at the accusation and the Jonin in charge of the genin honed in on that perhaps there was some validity in what Sakura said as they continued walking in the direction their mission dictated.

"Don't be preposterous what would I have need to lie for, I'm just a simple bridge-builder trying to get home to his family without getting mugged by bandits" the old man tried to defend himself but his efforts were lackluster with that pale look on his face and fear in his eyes.

Sasuke picked up on the lie at the same time Sakura did "Now, now even if the Old Man did insult us there's no need to be so suspicious of him right Sakura-chan, Sasuke" the lone blonde tried to reign everyone in without little success.

"That's all the more reason to be suspicious cause without a doubt he's lying about something I can say that with certainty" the Uchiha on the team narrowed his own eyes and Tazuna paled further proving his point.

Where even the knucklehead could figure it out that they'd been lied to right from the start "Okay kids lets leave the speculation for later" Kakashi clapped his hands and spoke sternly in hopes to have order among their group again so that he could think.

Should he turn them around or continue the mission since nothing had happened so far "Up ahead Kakashi-sensei about forty meters there's two chakra signatures lying in wait for us" Sakura said not a moment to soon when he thought they'd get away scott free.

"How can you tell Sakura-chan" Naruto asked in confusion shuffling closer to the lone girl in their group as they edged closer to the chakra signatures that were unknown to them, a lone puddle lay in their path but they went around it and Sakura kept casting subtle glances back at it.

As the other member of the team spoke up "Advanced sensory skills, Shibi's been giving her lessons on detecting the chakra of small creatures like insects and plant-life" Sasuke announced also sensing the chakra on a lower level than Sakura could.

Just then when it seemed like everything was nice and peaceful chains wrapped around Kakashi and ripped him to shreds "Oh god we're going to die" Tazuna muttered in horror as Naruto let out a scream of terror for his sensei.

Then his arm was gripped "Calm down Naruto and don't lose focus, there's an enemy before us, Kakashi-sensei will be fine" the rosette instructed releasing him from her hold and charging forward at the enemy who had Chunin level chakra reserves.

Flying through a set of hand signs before kicking a powerful wave of water at the rogue-nin since it was clear what he was "Raiton: Lightning Stream and Dope duck" the lone Uchiha on the team added his own element into the mix before instructing his remaining teammate to duck.

Who did as asked, dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way of the second enemy then back onto his feet as the first one went down due to the combined elemental attack from Sasuke and Sakura, then Sasuke turned and lunged at Tazuna.

Stopping the second in his tracks with a tackle "Shadow Clone Jutsu" the blonde decided that he wouldn't be the only one not contributing to the fight as he made a few shadow clones to help hold down the rogues and get their client out of the way of a chain attack.

"Good work you three, excellent teamwork I would say" the silver haired Jonin returned in the nick of time, taking over by tying up the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist Village with ninja wire that the lone girl on the mission handed to him.

And Tazuna fell on his ass relieved to even be alive "But how I thought you were completely unreliable, you didn't even hesitate girly, freak out or scream like that goofy one" the bridge builder rambled in confusion.

Until the girl stomped her way towards him "First off my name is Sakura stop calling me girly, looks can be deceiving, second if I reacted to every little thing I wouldn't be able to call myself a shinobi and third do you want to tell us the truth now" Sakura bared her teeth angrily at the man.

Itching to punch him just once as her hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly to calm her temper realizing he was completely outed their client hung his head in shame "Very well" Tazuna nodded it was the least he could do.

"Follow me then Tazuna-san" Kakashi cleared his throat just glad that the two genin that he'd requested to join this mission had their heads on straight as he led the bridge builder away so they could talk about the true reason this mission had been requested.

"You okay Naruto, that scratch looks painful" Sasuke said in the ensuing silent and Sakura snapped to, body flickering to their side in a swirl of cherry blossoms to take Naruto's injured hand and stare at it with fury in her gaze.

Sasuke shuddered and Naruto wanted to edge away from her as well "Nah it doesn't hurt all that bad really Sakura-chan" Naruto assured lying through his teeth because it was actually pretty painful and he even felt weird now that attention had been drawn to it.

She grit her teeth "Liar and if I'm not mistaken there's poison in your wound to, don't worry though Naruto I can fix it up and make you feel better" the pinkette smiled kindly, hand glowing a light green as she pressed it over the scratch on Naruto's hand.

Then to his awe the scratch started fading away leaving behind a small pink scar before she reached into her fully stocked medical pouch and pulled out a jar of pills and handed him one, he swallowed it without question, feeling better in seconds.

"Nice seems like you've really improved on your medical ninjutsu huh Sakura" the ebony haired preteen smirked pleased to see her in action for the first time since she'd started training, the medic must have given her the okay to start using the mystical palm without instruction.

"Is that why you keep going to the hospital every other day, you were learning that, that was so cool Sakura-chan, can you teach me please" the blonde burst out in excitement only to have a hand slapped over his mouth.

While she looked around warily "Won't guarantee that you'll understand Naruto or even get this down but I'll teach you, also try not to be so loud from this point on, whoever sent them has to be watching and waiting for us to lower our guards" Sakura scolded lightly, relenting to his request.

Paling slightly the boy nodded in understanding wanting to do his absolute best not to mess up anymore on the mission than he already had "Okay Sakura-chan I promise and thank you" Naruto nodded seriously.

"Might as well learn as well, could be useful" Sasuke shrugged knowing it would be a handy skill to have in his arsenal down the road someday in case of emergencies, though he didn't dare think it would be easy.

Just then the Jonin in charge and their client returned "Seems like this little C Rank Mission has turned into an A Rank Mission" Kakashi confessed and Sakura wanted to really hit Tazuna now because this was not what she signed up for.

Not that they'd had any choice because of Kakashi himself requesting them for this mission "I am so sorry I didn't think things would turn out like this" Tazuna bowed apologizing for endangering the genin on their very first outside the village mission.

Sakura let her shoulders drooped "Why did you lie in the first place, if you'd made a request for a mission with the appropriate rank other Jonin could better protect you than us, who are genin" Sasuke scowled unhappy with how this mission was slowly turning out.

"Going back is simply out of the question, we'll just have to deal with whoever comes our way right" Naruto piped in looking determined, he wasn't going to fail no matter what, his dream was to become Hokage after all so that he could finally be acknowledged by people.

Tazuna grimaced listening to the shinobi talk amongst themselves so they could agree on some sort of plan the fact that they were still willing to protect him a little had him in awe over their loyalty to a mission client.

"I think Sasuke and Naruto are both right, though we could send a message and inform Hokage-sama of the situation" Sakura added her own opinion divided, Tazuna wasn't really all that bad, she just hated people who lied that was all.

Peering at Sasuke who nodded while Kakashi simply looked confused "That would take hours even employing the use of a summons, we can't afford to waste time waiting Sakura" the silver haired Jonin stated.

Before the girl smiled "Don't worry Kakashi-sensei I've totally got this alright, Ninja Art: Red Legged Spider Summoning Jutsu" the pinkette sped through a set of hand signs, bit her thumb, swiped the blood down her palm and slammed her hand on the ground.

And in a puff of smoke Mibojin was in front of her "You summoned me Sakura-sama" the spider asked staring around with his eyes spotting something rather worrisome then focused his attention fully on his summoner.

"We have a bit of a problem Mibojin-sama, see Tazuna-san there lied about the rank of the mission, but we're to far away from the village to just turn back, so could you inform Hokage-sama that we plan to continue the mission for me then come back" Sakura requested.

Kakashi looked intrigued as the spider poofed away "Since when the heck could you do that Sakura-chan" the blonde of the group burst out moderately severely confused, he was seeing another side of his friend that he'd never seen before.

"Since before we became genin Naruto, a couple days before actually, it was a gift from someone" the ebony haired preteen admitted, glancing around warily because the longer they stood there, the easier it would be to off them.

Just then Mibojin returned "He said that he won't be sending any back up and that he hopes you know what you four are getting yourselves into by continuing this mission, now what else can I do for you Sakura-sama" Mibojin explained what the Hokage had told him.

"How cruel he's just leaving you to fend for yourselves" the bridge builder gaped in horror they were being abandoned by the very village they loved and worked for all because they decided to complete the mission despite the difficulty it now presented.

Emerald orbs shot towards him "Can you add your silk to everyone's clothing here I have a feeling they'll need that little extra bit of protection, also I'd like to set up a communication system with my summons" the pinkette turned to face the others at the second part.

Sasuke nodded use to this while Mibojin set to work on weaving his silk into everyone's clothing "Communication system what do you mean Sakura" Kakashi was completely lost on what was going on anymore.

"Basically each of you, yes you to Tazuna-san, will carry one of my summons with you at all times in case something happens to us or we're separated my summons can still communicate and inform us of the situation whatever it may be" Sakura explained.

Now he just felt tired "If you feel that's for the best Sakura then do it" Tazuna grimaced unsure of how he felt about this idea as Sakura summoned five much tinier spiders calling them each by name, Shiruki, Ashi, Kafu, Irome and Hitomi.

Hitomi who crawled onto him and attached herself to the underside of his bamboo hat, Irome went over to the Jonin, disappearing while making himself comfortable under the man's headband, "Cool" Naruto murmured quietly as Ashi perched on him.

Then as Sasuke had come to expect Kafu was his partner "Hello Kafu, I look forward to working with you again" Sasuke gave a small smile to the spider as the rogue Chunin from Mist were killed, a lethal dose of poison from Mibojin who finished his task then was gone in a puff of smoke.

And with that they started down the path again, much more wary than before "So how come you lied anyway old man" the lone blonde questioned carefully, looking around cautiously just in case because he didn't want to be caught unaware ever again.

"My village is poor thanks to Gato of Gato Corps but I knew that asking for a mission that was way above the limit of what we could pay was out of the question, that's why I have to build the bridge to save my home and free us from his rule" the bridge builder admitted.

Sasuke and Sakura gravitated towards each other as they were use to "No matter who stands in our way Tazuna-san we'll stop them" the pinkette nodded though she still had a bad feeling, she didn't feel as if any of them were going to die.

Which was a huge relief to her heart as they boarded a motor boat to cross the ocean, hiding in the mist "Sakura is right, we'll beat them down no matter the circumstances" the ebony haired preteen pounded his fist into his hand, speaking in a determined tone of voice.

Off to the side Kakashi chuckled under his breath "And I'll be there to make sure none of you get killed that's a promise" the silver haired Jonin stated seriously, thirty minutes later they were stood on land again.

Immediately the lone girl went rigid "Is something wrong Sakura-chan" Naruto shifted in her direction when it seemed like she was frozen in place by something for a couple of minutes she stood there debating on whether to say anything until Shiruki piped in a calm voice that she should.

"Right, I sense a foreign chakra, it's really slight almost completely hidden but it's there hiding in a tree waiting for us fifteen meters straight ahead" Sakura murmured quietly to Shiruki, who relayed the message to the others.

To their surprise "Guess you really know your stuff huh Sakura" Tazuna grimaced pleased the girl had suggested this idea in the first place because they could communicate on a near silent level with one another without revealing anything to their enemy such as the fact that he'd been outed.

"We've used this system before with Shino and Shibi, it's been certified for missions and a lot more comfortable than the radio communicators" Sasuke piped in as they started their trek forward relaxing as best they could so they didn't out themselves.

So when an attack came they weren't completely off guard as the Jonin in charge shouted at them "GET DOWN" Kakashi ordered in a brusque tone, shoving Tazuna to the ground while Sasuke dived and Sakura tackled Naruto.

Just as a giant butcher like sword flew through the air at them, narrowly missing as they all dropped to the ground then embed itself into a tree, where immediately after an unknown man to them appeared on the handle.

"Zabuza Momochi a rogue from the Hidden Mist Village huh guess I'm not to surprised" the silver haired jonin glared, wondering if this had really been the best idea to continue the now A Rank Mission as a higher ranked rogue appeared.

The man tilted his head in their direction "And your Kakashi of the Sharingan eye did I get that right" Zabuza as he'd been called growled in a gravelly sort of sounding voice face wrapped in bandages the only thing really visible his eyes and his hair.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists at that "Sasuke calm down, now is not the time" the rosette at his side grabbed his arm and squeezed it gently in warning, speaking in a low voice, while keeping her eyes forward watching their enemy critically.

"Right got it, Dope over here now, we need to protect Tazuna at all costs now" the Uchiha blew out a breath forcing himself to not think about what he'd just learned about his temporary sensei as they made a formation around their client.

Holding out their favored weapons "Understood Sasuke" the blonde gulped shaking lightly in fear that something was going to go wrong despite all their preparations but he was resolved to get through this mission no matter what like they were.

Zabuza eyed them curiously, with a hint of murder in his eyes and Tazuna paled "I'm going to die aren't I" the bridge builder whimpered seeing his death in that gaze until Sakura pressed a hand to his arm and with a jolt he snapped out whatever it was he'd just been put through.

"Girly fancies herself an expert on breaking out of genjutsu's eh, enough talk" the Mist Rogue growled grabbing his weapon and charging before the Jonin could even react he had broken through their formation and went to swing his sword through the bridge builder.

Only to be stopped as a clone from the blonde came up out of the ground stopping him in his tracks for a moment "Like we're going to let a freaky bastard like you hurt old man Tazuna" Naruto scowled pulling the bridge builder out of the way as Kakashi reached the enemy.

And placed a kunai to the man's neck while the blonde boys clone poofed out of existence, their relief was short lived as a short water style clone battle ensued before Kakashi was kicked through the air into the water and captured in another water style jutsu.

"Run get out of here you'll only get in the way" Kakashi ordered cursing himself for being careless like this, now the genin had no chance to survive, it was going to be all his fault, that's if he lived long enough that was.

Naruto clenched his hands into fists "Oh intending on fighting are we" Zabuza mused rumbling out a dark laugh that send shudders down their spines as he noticed the genin gearing up to Kakashi's absolute horror.

Then made another water clone with a one handed hand sign "We aren't abandoning you Kakashi so forget it, where's Irome" Sasuke shook his head before glancing to Sakura and whispering the question under his breath.

"On Zabuza of course, Irome bite now" Sakura instructed not afraid to have her summons bite someone if it meant saving another person's life, it wasn't a lethal bite sure, but the venom would make for a hellish few days once the poison kicked in.

The water clone wavered as Zabuza was distracted "The hell did you do to him" Tazuna gaped in horror as the man lost control over his chakra, both jutsu's failing but still being able to keep himself atop the water was a feat for sure.

Sakura smirked as the four of them stood back watching until came and took the dead Zabuza away, she wasn't stupid of course the placement of the senbon needles, a pressure point in the neck that let one fake their own death.

But Kakashi was her top priority now as he collapsed "Don't think you're getting out of a scolding Sakura for being reckless like that" the silver haired Jonin groaned before losing consciousness after using his sharingan.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say Kakashi-sensei, anyway it's not safe to treat him here, how far away is yours Tazuna-san" the pinkette rolled her eyes not to worried about the scolding seeing as how she'd only commanded her summons to do his job.

"Not far come on you three, I'm sure your exhausted and ready to eat something" the bridge builder sighed exhausted himself as he helped to practically drag the Jonin to his house where he was laid on the couch for the time being.

His daughter stood back wringing her hands "Is the poor man going to be alright, what happened tell me Father" Tsunami asked nervously as the young girl knelt and placed her hands over the unconscious man and they started glowing a soft green.

"We were attacked ma'am, the names Sasuke Uchiha, that's Sakura Haruno, the one on the couch is Kakashi our sensei and that's Naruto Uzumaki and yeah he'll be alright, just overdid it really during his fight" the ebony haired preteen snorted.

Naruto as she'd been told nodding his head "Sakura-chan will patch him up though, she's been learning to be a medic for a month now after all" the blonde grinned eager to try his own hand at medical ninjutsu to see if he had a talent for it.

Probably not but he still wanted to give it a try "We'll I'm Tsunami, I do have a son, Inari but he's out playing right now" the blue haired woman introduced herself fidgeting until the green glow faded and Sakura stood brushing her knee's off.

Then the Jonin was taken up to a spare room to rest properly "Zabuza's not dead, that Hunter Nin was a fake, also Tsunami-san would you mind if I borrowed your kitchen to cook" Sakura informed the minute she and Tazuna returned back downstairs to the living room.

Said man choked on spit "But we saw it ourselves and your sensei even checked to make sure so how can you say that he's not dead and that it was all a ruse" Tazuna spluttered in confusion, Sakura slanted a look to Sasuke.

"It was the placement of the throwing needles, that spot he was hit in is a pressure point that temporarily stops the heart allowing one to fake their own death" Sasuke reeled off a textbook answer for everyone in the room.

Remembering only because he read that book on pressure points Sakura had "Kami would it kill you two to be normal for once" Naruto sighed not sure what to expect anymore from his two friends, it was clear though that they were far out of his league.

"Of course you can borrow the kitchen sweetie so long as you clean up after yourself and put everything back the way you found it" Tsunami relented to Sakura's earlier request and the girl vanished into the kitchen to get started on an early dinner.

Even cooking extra for the civilians that were hosting them during this time of strife, she didn't dare use any of their supplies, instead pulled out her food supply scroll, cracking it open for the first time since they'd left the Leaf Village behind.

By the time Tsunami's son had returned from playing outdoors, dangerous sort of thing to do especially in these circumstances, dinner was done "Who the hell are you guys" Inari frowned as he entered the kitchen smelling delicious food.

And not liking the strangers seated around the table "Inari don't be rude, these shinobi protected your grandfather, now sit down and eat, Sakura-san was kind enough to cook dinner for us with her own food supplies" the blue haired woman scolded harshly.

Inari flinched and did as told for once to her relief "Thank you for the food" the raven haired eight year old murmured keeping mostly to himself as he ate only to vanish from the dinner table to his room when he was done.

Making his mother sigh "Do you mind if we set up traps to ensure your protection during the night Tsunami-san" the rosette questioned while doing the dishes with some help from Sasuke, who knew better than to make her do all the work.

Tsunami shook her head and hurried off to the living room leaving the genin alone with her Father "What all do you intend on setting up as traps" the bridge builder inquired curiously because he hadn't thought they'd go this far for an old man like him.

"Mm most likely a bit of fuinjutsu, traps all around the house, genjutsu, barrier jutsu and the like, ninja wire to I guess" the ebony haired preteen mused glancing to Sakura who nodded in acceptance already planning out several things in her mind no doubt.

While Naruto grimaced "Yeesh you two do nothing by halves do you" the blonde crinkled his nose up in frustration, he could only get better sure but like he'd thought earlier Sasuke and Sakura were leagues ahead of him.

In the next moment he found that statement to be true, Sasuke and Sakura went above and beyond, laying all manners of traps inside and outside to his horror "Should anyone try to break their way in, they'll get a nasty shock from this" Sakura snickered heartlessly.

Placing seals all over the doorways and windows to which Sasuke sealed his lightning nature jutsu inside of them "Scary" Naruto whimpered frightened of his friends, who were ruthless to people who weren't their own.

"Consider it this way Naruto, better to be safe than sorry" Sasuke shrugged, drawing out another layer of seals over the original, for the barrier then activated it, creating a blue glow over every window and door-frame.

That wasn't the half of what they did, despite the barriers, genjutsu tags was put up under an illusion outside, along with a timed weapons tag that would go off at the first sign of an intruder, then at every corner, ninja wire was strung up, more genjutsu was placed, and lots of weapons.

Setting up all the levels of traps took an hour "Well goodnight" Tazuna huffed when the kids trudged back inside and bid him goodnight once they were finished ensuring their protection during the night, then they trudged up to a spare bedroom and went to sleep for the night.


	16. Mission From Hell (Part 2) End

During the next couple of days that Kakashi was unconscious Sakura took the boys out for medical ninjutsu training that she'd promised them, of course that wasn't without leaving an innumerable amount of traps to protect the civilians though.

Especially Tazuna, who got three Naruto clones tailing him since they could go rather far from their original each of them loaded down with weapons of all kinds and a summons from Sakura, plus Hitomi who stayed with Tazuna, they could produce enough venom to kill an enemy.

"Okay first you want to establish chakra control Naruto has Kakashi-sensei taught you any chakra exercises yet" Sakura asked as they stood in the forest just a little ways away from the civilians house not wanting to go to far just in case.

Immediately the boy shook his head "Nu-uh what are chakra exercises Sakura-chan" Naruto frowned in confusion, lost already and they'd only just begun, Sakura wanted to scream in frustration at that.

But Sasuke pat her shoulder "Keep calm Sakura, chakra exercises help you improve your control over your chakra say for jutsu's if your below average your jutsu's aren't very effective but improve that control and you can make your jutsu's much stronger" Sasuke explained carefully.

Trying his best not to make it to confusion for the knucklehead "So how do I do these chakra exercises then" the blonde asked determined to get better for the sake of his friends and this mission and everyone who was counting on them to return home.

"You want to focus your chakra into your feet like this Naruto…then get a running start, don't use to much or to little chakra otherwise you'll fall or break the bark" the pinkette said, demonstrating for the boy and walking up the tree calmly to his awe.

When she was sure he understood, she dropped out of the tree and landed gracefully on her feet "My turn right, so how do you learn how to use medical chakra" the ebony haired preteen questioned knowing this training was going to be like hell on him.

As Naruto got started on trying to learn standard chakra control "Focus chakra into your hands I know you have a decent amount of control and then you must will it to heal something, this melon for example" Sakura instructed.

Demonstrating first like she had for Naruto, who kept continuously falling, using very little chakra for the technique, and healed the gash in the melon rind "Better go help knucklehead before he gets to frustrated" Sasuke snorted.

"Can't get it, I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong" Naruto sulked unhappy that he was already failing and now he would never be able to get better, Sakura smiled reassuringly then had him stand again.

In front of the tree and made him focus his chakra into his feet "Good, add just a little more chakra Naruto, feel that, remember the amount okay, now go" the rosette instructed gently in tune with chakra to the point she could feel how much other people used in jutsu's.

Naruto charged going straight up the tree to his surprise only to lose concentration and fall, luckily Sakura caught him "Wow that was totally awesome you know" the blonde blurted in awe that he'd managed after listening to some simple directions.

For the next three hours Sakura flitted back and forth between the two boys "Ugh I'm never going to get that down" the Uchiha groaned when they started back towards the civilians house for an early lunch and to check on their hosts and sensei.

The lone girl rolled her eyes "There you three are I was wondering when you'd make a return" Tsunami greeted with a kind smile, clearly doing some laundry as she had a basket under her arm that was full of dirty clothes.

"Need any help Tsunami-san" Sakura offered instantly without skipping a beat, polite to a fault but the woman waved her off, heading out back and giving them free reign in the kitchen since they had more than enough supplies to accommodate a small army.

With that Sakura got started on cooking "Sometimes I wonder about you Sakura-chan, how did you turn out so different" Naruto asked sheepishly not wanting to sound insulting but definitely curious about his friend.

"It was the way she was born knucklehead" Sasuke was the one to answer as Sakura focused on their afternoon meal, whipping up a glorious amount of food that would satisfy even the most pickiest of eaters i.e Inari if they were being honest.

Speaking of the little boy, he chose that moment to charge into the house "Your all gonna die, Gato's gonna kill you" Inari spouted his usual nonsense then disappeared up the stairs to his room just glad he wasn't being scolded since his mom was out back.

Protected by a scary amount of traps that had been set up courtesy of the shinobi in his house and when lunch was finished Tazuna decided to return and his entourage of clones disappeared in plumes of smoke "Don't know how you do it Sakura" Tazuna shook his head.

Eyeing the amount of food with wide eyes, stomach rumbling in hunger while she made individual plates for all of them and even went so far as to feed some nice juicy flies she'd caught to her summons in thanks for their hard work.

"Me either, just eat up alright while the food is still warm" the pinkette grinned, getting lost in her thoughts while they ate, planning out several back up plans just in case things went south and something she could practice while the boys were working on their tasks.

Naruto and Sasuke left her to her thoughts for the entirety of the meal "Oi Sakura-chan you gonna summon your spiders again" the blonde called when they were done eating and Tazuna had to get back to work on the bridge.

He'd already made his clones but Sakura was still lost in her own world, but at his call she gave a little jolt and straightened before speeding through a set of hand signs to summon four spiders, Hitomi in charge of communication as the group of clones trailed after Tazuna again.

"I still say your gonna die" the eight year old shouted hopping up from his seat at the table and running out the door as quickly as possible to avoid another scolding from his mother, he did however catch the start of the scolding.

As the woman opened her mouth "Damn it Inari how many times….ooh it's no use, I'm really sorry about him, he didn't use to always be like that you see" the blue haired woman sighed realizing her son was to far away now and unsure of what to do anymore.

"We understand Tsunami-san, something traumatic happened to him that's something Sakura and I can relate to" the ebony haired preteen said softly, seeing no harm in admitting that much since the woman wasn't part of their village.

Curious as she was about what that traumatic thing was they'd been through Tsunami didn't ask getting the feeling she wouldn't be told, while the genin traipsed out back to the forest again to continue their training after checking on the unconscious Jonin of course.

All the way up to dinner time "Thought I was never going to heal that stupid melon rind" Sasuke scowled looking plum exhausted as he plopped into a chair at the kitchen table, most likely ready to go to sleep right then and there.

"Lucky you Sasuke cause like Sakura-chan so kindly pointed out I have zero aptitude for being a medic since I can't even produce medical chakra like you and she can" Naruto huffed put out, oh well at least he'd tried.

"There are tons of things your bound to be better than Sasuke and I at, you just have to find them Naruto" Sakura assured, helping out with the evening meal for the second night in a row it was so ingrained into her after all.

Until the meal was all ready to eat in the nick of time the two missing males appeared and joined them round the table "Don't talk with your mouth full Inari" Tsunami scolded harshly making up for earlier when her son didn't mind his manners as he was supposed to.

Inari gulped and snapped his mouth shut "Going to my room" Inari jumped up as if he was on fire, vanishing from the table when he was done and flying up the stairs to his bedroom, slamming the door shut in the process.

"Please don't blame him alright, Gato killed his step father for trying to be a hero" Tazuna sighed unsure of what to do about his grandson, who'd really changed since that incident, Naruto straightened at that.

Baby blue eyes narrowing on his two friends, he'd always wondered why Sasuke had started living with Sakura but now he was slowly beginning to understand "Is that what happened to you Sasuke, did someone kill your parents, is that why you changed so much" the blonde asked.

Dread filling him as his stomach twisted itself into knots, Sakura flinched "Suppose there's no point in avoiding the question now since he's figured that much out Sasuke" the pinkette said looking utterly exhausted.

While Sasuke grit his teeth "Not just my parents, my entire clan" the raven haired preteen admitted quietly then stood and vanished to the guest bedroom he'd taken over unable to really continue the conversation.

Naruto's eyes rounded in horror the last thing he saw "Poor boy guess he wasn't kidding, but how did you get mixed up in it Sakura-san" the blue haired woman asked but when she didn't receive an answer she looked up and found the girl gone as well.

"Left right after Sasuke did" the bridge builder explained the girl's absence from the kitchen table, kitchen cleaned with all dishes washed and put away, Naruto sighed wishing he hadn't asked because now he couldn't get the truth out of his head.

Eventually he did go to bed as well like his two friends/temporary teammates, only for them to repeat everything the next day, him focusing on learning how the water walking exercise and Sasuke practicing with the melon again.

Before Sakura considered him ready to start practicing on a fish, flitting back to the house and bridge to check on their host and client to make sure they were doing alright, even checking on Inari without his knowledge.

On the third day that they'd been in the little village during breakfast a groan from upstairs reached their ears "Kakashi-sensei is awake finally" Naruto cheered excitedly, glad to have his sensei awake after two days of him being unconscious.

Then prepared to rush off only being stopped by a restraining hand on his shoulder "Don't go rushing Naruto, while Kakashi-sensei is now awake, he won't be doing much for the next week" Sakura reminded gently.

Paling a little Naruto calmed himself down exponentially "You three what happened how long have I been out" Kakashi fired off questions the moment they entered the guest room he'd been in since arriving in Tazuna's village.

"Relax Kakashi, you collapsed from overusing that sharingan of yours and two days" Sasuke answered truthfully still wondering about the sharingan the man possessed but keeping any extra questions to himself for the time being.

Kakashi let out a relieved sigh as Sakura knelt at his side, hands glowing a slightly darker green than he remembered had she really improved that much in just two days it was possible knowing how talented the girl was after all.

"What about Tazuna, is this his house" the silver haired Jonin asked seriously, worried about their client, who chose that moment to slid open the door and enter the room he was in, Tazuna was in completely good health to his relief again.

"You don't have to worry Kakashi, these kids have been taking very good care of us, my daughter, grandson and I, also I need to get to work on the bridge" the bridge builder chuckled seeing the bewildered expression in the man's eyes.

Immediately Naruto and Sakura snapped to, creating clones and summoning spiders before Tazuna was off "It's how we've been doing things, while Naruto and Sasuke have been training" the pinkette explained easily.

Sasuke and Naruto nodding "By the way I still need to scold you for doing something reckless like that" Kakashi remembered suddenly how she'd used her spider summons to inject a nonlethal dose of venom into Zabuza, freeing him.

Viridian orbs narrowed "While you might see it that way Kakashi-sensei I don't, I didn't unnecessarily put myself in harms way, anyway that's besides the point and I can for sure guarantee you won't be doing anything for a week" Sakura stood and put her hands on her hips.

Just a little shocked at how quickly the girl had turned the scolding around on him Kakashi felt like a child all over again "Oh yeah and who's the Jonin here definitely not you Sakura-chan" the silver haired male sulked.

"Ah true, but as a medic it's my duty to ensure your fit for missions and such, the fight overworked your chakra network system so as a medic I say you need to rest properly, leave training these two, to me for now okay" the pinkette stated simply.

Not really arguing just pointing out simple facts "I'm going to get Kakashi-sensei his breakfast" the blonde sped off, grabbing the tray from where Tsunami always put it and piled plates and glasses on it of their own breakfast.

Zipping back to the room carefully to find a sulking Kakashi, an exasperated Sakura and a seriously amused Sasuke "He's just a little upset that Sakura is so straight-laced when it comes to being a medic" the ebony haired preteen explained to Naruto.

Who placed the tray down for them to eat breakfast, then when they were done Sakura went to the extreme to make sure Kakashi was comfortable before the three of them left to conduct their own training out back in the forest like they had been for the last couple of days.

Sasuke immediately got started on healing the melon until Sakura stopped him "Since you've managed to complete the first exercise, it's time to move on to syncing your chakra up to a fish's chakra network" Sakura announced, heading over to the nearby pond.

Quickly catching a fish for Sasuke to use as practice "Right this is going to be such a pain in the ass to do" Sasuke sighed knowing she was right, he couldn't keep practicing on the damn melon the whole time if he wanted to learn how to do this properly.

"How about me Sakura-chan do I get to practice something new" Naruto bounced when she came to stand in front of him, before asking that he demonstrate the tree climbing exercise for her so she could see his progress.

Immediately he focused the proper amount of chakra into the soles of his feet, then got a running start at the tree, going straight up before dropping down in front of her, Sakura nodded pleased, while Sasuke let out a frustrated groan as he burnt the fish to a crisp with his chakra.

Naruto wished he hadn't asked to practice something new when Sakura led him over to the pond "Um Sakura-chan don't tell me your going to have me try to walk on water now right" the blonde gulped uncertain about this new task that lay before him.

"Good luck knucklehead and don't worry it's not that hard since you already have the tree climbing exercise down, just listen to Sakura and you'll be walking on water in no time" the ebony haired preteen grimaced.

Catching a fish and getting out of their way so he could continue training, maybe when they got back, he could ask for a letter of recommendation from the hospital himself, have Shibi sign it and be trained under a medic at the hospital as well.

"Relax Naruto, now focus chakra into your feet, good just a little more, there that's perfect, the trick is not the amount though but to constantly reapply that same amount of chakra to your feet to complete the walking on water chakra control exercise" the rosette instructed.

Demonstrating and walking out onto the pond's surface with ease to Naruto's awe, who gulped and decided to wing it by charging head first like he usually did on anything, he made it five steps before he lost concentration over his chakra and promptly fell in.

After heaving himself onto dry land he tried the exercise again while Sakura headed over to Sasuke, "Think you could give me some pointers" Sasuke scowled, he was having a hell of a time just trying to understand how to sync his chakra up to a fish's chakra network.

"Of course Sasuke that's what I'm here for, right then close your eyes, sharpen your senses, feel that, it's the fishes, try to match your chakra with that and heal it" Sakura instructed carefully watching as Sasuke's hand glowed a dull green again.

Not as bright as it should be so she told him to increase the amount a little in the next second he matched his chakra to the fishes chakra and healed the fish, "I'm good don't worry about me Sakura-chan" Naruto waved her off when she came back to help him.

With that she went around the clearing picking herbs as the boys trained until it was time for lunch only then did they go back to the house "Your sensei has been kicking up quite the fuss" the blue haired woman informed them.

Holding out a tray that held their lunch on it, Sakura rubbed her temples, slanted a look to Sasuke, who nodded "Come on Dope" the Uchiha took the tray while Sakura headed over to the stove, pulling a pot from the cabinet to her right.

Then set to work on boiling the herbs she picked down into a liquid substance "What are you going to do with that Sakura" Tsunami asked in confusion watching the girl work, even adding a couple of herbs from her own stock.

Though she prepared them differently "It's medicine for Kakashi-sensei" the pinkette admitted lips pressed together, men were such children sometimes when it came to getting treated so she was going to give him a choice as she prepared a hypodermic needle and syringe.

Tsunami covered her mouth to keep from outright laughing as she realized what the girl was plotting against her sensei "Good luck Sakura" the blue haired woman cheered softly under her breath as Sakura finished up, cleaning the pot out, then with everything in hand marched upstairs.

Kakashi paused in eating when the missing genin entered the room "Is that what I think it is Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde of the group spied the needle attached to a syringe filled with a yellow looking substance.

"Your not giving me a shot" Kakashi said outright "I mean it Sakura-chan" the silver haired male tensed when she moved to sit at his side, only to start eating her cooling lunch, way to quiet which made him five times more warier than usual.

Until all the food had been devoured "Okay Kakashi-sensei I'm giving you two choices here, receive a shot or take this medicine in the glass either way you'll go to sleep to rest like your suppose to and will help you recover properly" Sakura folded her hands in her lap.

After setting the syringe and a glass before the man giving him the ultimate choice "Medicine is bitter and nasty though" Kakashi whined so unlike himself and Sakura reached for the syringe with needle, his eyes widened in horror.

Before she could prepare the needle for injection he snatched the glass and downed the contents of it in an instant definitely not wanting a shot, immediately his eyes drooped and soon he was snoozing the afternoon away peacefully resting properly now.

Sakura smirked in satisfaction, stowing the syringe away in her medical pouch "Very scary Sakura but I understand why you did it that way, because he was being stubborn" Sasuke snorted in amusement as they cleaned up after themselves.

On their way out the door Tazuna appeared a little on the late side so they stayed long enough to make more clones and summons spiders for the man "Yeah pretty sneaky to, to make him think you were going to give him a shot" Naruto sniggered.

Her brows raised "I wasn't joking Naruto, if push came to shove I would have given him the shot, regardless of his whining" the girl said in a no nonsense sounding tone of voice and Naruto instantly paled at that.

"Guess Kakashi-sensei should feel lucky you even gave him a choice" the blonde shuddered, setting to work on practicing the water walking exercise again, while Sasuke caught himself a fish to practice on that.

While Sakura sat and read from one of the books she'd brought along, drawing seals on blank tags, improving upon her fuinjutsu skills "Still scary though" the raven haired preteen piped in with a grimace as they all worked on their own individual things.

Until they decided to call it quits a few hours later and head back to the civilians house "Could you do me a favor Sakura, Inari came in covered in scratches, would you heal them for me, he's in his room" Tsunami asked the moment they stepped foot through the door.

A radiant smile was beamed in her direction as Sakura pranced off to complete her new task "Did you ask her Tsunami" Tazuna inquired when his daughter returned to the kitchen, Naruto and Sasuke on his heels, the lone girl missing, while Tsunami nodded in answer.

Meanwhile Sakura had reached Inari's room and after knocking on the door the answer she received wasn't one she really wanted to hear "Go away I don't need help from someone who's going to die once Gato get's a hold of them" Inari snapped from the other side.

Her eye twitched and after focusing on the inside of the room body flickered in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Okay that's it Inari-san I've had just about enough of that crap from you" Sakura put her hands on her hips.

Slapping a soundproofing tag to the wall and activating it so she could talk to the little brat who'd been way to rude since the moment they first arrived, Inari gaped at her in shock before crossing his arms "It's true your going to die" the eight year old insisted.

"Yeah and how do you know that for sure, we managed to protect your grandfather from chunin level rogues and fight off a jonin level rogue as well all in a single day that was hired by Gato, we're shinobi, enduring anything is in the job description" the pinkette snapped.

Not having expected that she'd go off on him like that the boy flinched back "How can you be so certain look at the state that person is in that you've been taking care of since you got here" Inari yelled back tears pricking at his eyes.

And she had to remind herself that Gato had taken away someone important to this boy who was a mere child, he was only acting out like this from his trauma "Kakashi-sensei was reckless, he overdid things during his fight is all that wasn't Gato's fault, just his" Sakura explained gently.

Honestly surprised that she was suddenly acting differently Inari frowned "What but I thought you fought someone hired by Gato" the ebony haired boy asked in confusion, if it hadn't been Gato's fault then could he perhaps start to hope that these shinobi really would save them.

"We did technically but like I said Kakashi-sensei overdid it, anyway look Inari, I know what it's like to lose someone dear to your heart, I was the same age as you and I know the trauma of seeing someone die before my eyes so don't think your the only one suffering" the rosette admitted.

Eyes wide to the truth Inari felt like a horrible burst which started the waterworks in full "But I don't get how you can be so certain that everything will turn out alright in the end" Inari sniffled, tears pouring from his eyes.

The girl smiling gently while pulling him into a careful hug "Call it a feeling Inari-san, now how about I see to those scratches okay" Sakura soothed glad to have finally broken through to the boy and now he would stop being rude to them.

Inari nodded and her hands glowed a soft green, taking the pain away and healing the scratches he'd got from falling into a bush before they headed downstairs to eat dinner with the others "Thank you Sakura-chan" the blue haired woman said.

Sakura merely nodded taking the held out tray "Settled his differences with us didn't you Sakura" Sasuke smirked glad that his teammate had a way with words that it could convince anyone to do her bidding or give them a chance.

"Of course Sasuke, enough was enough with that being rude crap he was pulling on us and his mother, if I'd pulled half the stuff Inari has pulled, my mother would have slapped me upside the head for it" the pinkette shook her head.

Unfortunately Sasuke was in agreement on that with her "Your seriously not kidding about that, I thought Mrs. Haruno was pretty laid back" Naruto gaped in horror, then his mind flashed back to all the times the woman had whacked her husband over the head for making his stupid jokes.

That weren't even all that funny really but they laughed anyway cause it made them feel better sometimes "Exactly he gets it now" the Uchiha shook his head with a snort as Naruto paled at the realization that Mebuki was not as laid back as he thought she was.

"Scary females yeesh you know" the blonde shuddered as they entered the guest bedroom the Jonin sensei was staying in and found him wide awake, at their appearance though Kakashi started sulking like a little kid again.

And the lone girl rolled her eyes "Don't be such a baby Kakashi-sensei, you know it was for your own good" Sakura scoffed setting down the tray and passing out the plates before helping Kakashi into a sitting position with lots of pillows fluffed up behind him.

His sulking got worse at that "Mean" Kakashi huffed behaving like a child as well to her shock as an incredulous expression formed on her face, and she wondered what it was about men that had them acting like babies when it came to taking medicine or getting shots.

Rolling her eyes all the while as they ate "Ridiculous keep acting like that and she really will give you a shot instead of giving you a choice" Sasuke snorted again, giving the warning to the man who was still sulking.

Kakashi paled at that and quickly straightened up his act "No nonsense like usual then" Naruto grinned thoroughly amused by the antics of his friends and sensei, who'd seemed so serious until this mission but now he was showing them another side that was much friendlier as they ate.

Before all the food was gone "I assume you'll get some proper rest right so I don't have to make more medicine for you right Kakashi-sensei" the rosette narrowed her eyes as she placed everything neatly on the tray once they were done.

"Of course Sakura-chan what do you take me for" the silver haired Jonin grumbled under his breath huffily that he was being treated like a brat, he knew she was right, but he didn't like sitting still for any amount of time.

Sakura smiled at that "Good, just do as I say Kakashi-sensei and maybe in a couple of days you can join us downstairs or outside while we train out back in the forest" the fuscia haired girl quipped giving him incentive to behave.

As they left the room "Kami the look on his face" the blonde laughed helping to clean up after himself and put the kitchen back to rights, never having seen that sort of expression on his sensei before and completely amused over it.

"Perhaps now he'll take you seriously when you tell him to get some rest" the ebony haired preteen chuckled under his breath as they finished up and then they went to bed after taking showers so they didn't stink up the covers or futons they were using from sweat.

~Two days later~

Kakashi hobbled down the stairs on crutches courtesy of Tsunami "Looks like Sakura gave you the okay huh Kakashi" Tazuna commented eyeing the man who'd been quite the obstinate patient since he'd woken up.

"I'm going to go out and watch them train today" Kakashi admitted while three clones from Naruto were made and four spiders were summoned by Sakura, so that Tazuna would have his entourage of protection at his beck and call.

Tazuna chuckled at that "Take care Naruto-ni, Sakura-nee, Sasuke-ni" Inari waved having really changed his tune after his little chat with Sakura to his mother's absolute relief, he was staying in that day to help her around the house even.

With that after breakfast they all split up, the shinobi heading into the forest while Tazuna and his entourage of clones headed for the bridge "Mm maybe we could spar today, test our concentration atop the water" Sakura mused when they reached the spot they'd been using to train in.

Both boys stared at her in horror "Come on your really trying to kill us aren't you Sakura" Sasuke groaned knowing there was no way they were going to get out of it now that she'd suggested the training that would be necessary in the future probably.

"Why me to, I've only been practicing a few days after all and I still fall in every fifteen to twenty minutes" Naruto complained but Sakura gave them no choice in the matter instead pointed while Kakashi leaned against a tree reading an orange book.

Moments later the three of them were stood atop the pond sparring intensely against each other "It occurs to me that none of you realize that Zabuza is actually alive" the silver haired Jonin announced an hour later when they were taking a quick break.

Sakura's head snapped in his direction, emerald orbs wide "Actually Kakashi-sensei I was the first one to figure it out, the placement of the throwing needles, they hit a pressure point in Zabuza's neck that temporarily stopped his heart allowing him to fake his death" the pinkette pipped in.

"And she already told us so you're a little late on the warning Kakashi" the Uchiha of the group snorted flopping back exhausted after the harsh sparring session they'd just went through, he'd even fallen in a couple of times.

"Yeah, yeah Kakashi-sensei that's why we're training so hard right now so that when it's time to face him again we won't be so useless in the fight" the blonde the only original genin of his burst out looking like he had lots of extra energy to spare.

Then twenty minutes later they were at it again, sparring intensely atop the water until it was lunch time "Heavens what on earth were you three doing out there, your soaked through to the bone" Tsunami screeched at their waterlogged appearances.

Just relieved that they weren't covered in injuries, she wasn't sure she'd be able to take it really having grown a little attached to the genin who'd went above and beyond to protect them "Just training Tsunami-san, sorry for dripping water everywhere" Sakura apologized.

Having lost her concentration once since Kakashi had thrown a kunai at her which had taken her off guard, Tsunami nodded in understanding just as a plume of smoke filled the air and a spider larger than her hand appeared on the table before the girl.

She let out an almighty scream "Someone kill it" the blue haired woman yelled eyes flying around looking for anything that would kill the giant spider now sitting on her kitchen table while Sakura blinked then grabbed up her summons before the woman found what she was looking for.

"Calm down Tsunami, it's a summons not something you can kill" the gray haired elder soothed trying to get his daughter to stop screaming and plotting to off Sakura's spider summons, he doubted she'd be happy about that.

While Mibojin was simply confused "Never mind that what are you here for Mibojin" Sasuke questioned of the red legged spider summons leader curious as to why he was popping up now and not a couple days ago.

"On Sakura-sama's command I have been searching for Gato's hideout, thirty minutes ago I found it, he's planning on betraying the rogue he hired" Mibojin informed his summoner and her current teammates along with the civilians and Jonin sitting around the table.

Eight year old missing as he was in his room since lunch wasn't quite done yet "Even if Zabuza is a bad guy he doesn't deserve that" Naruto frowned looking to his sensei for direction on what to do now.

Kakashi grimaced behind his mask "Can you send a few of the smaller spiders to take out Gato now Sakura, Mibojin is to large, he'd be noticed but not the younger ones" the silver haired Jonin requested of the girl.

Who'd grown up under the influence of Shisui Uchiha, that's why she was so different, that's what he thought anyway but he didn't know that her being different was how she was actually born as Sakura pressed her lips together.

"Sure I can Kakashi-sensei, what about Zabuza and that fake hunter nin that's in league with him" the pinkette inquired while summoning four more of her smaller spider summons, Shiruki, Ashi, Irome and a new one that she hadn't met yet by the name of Rera.

Gave them instructions and in a poof of smoke all five spiders were gone "Perhaps we can bargain with him to leave old man Tazuna alone if given enough incentive" the blonde piped in with a great idea hopefully anyway.

"Think about it, Gato is pretty rich right, with him taken out of the game, all that money would be left right, so what if we used that, pay Zabuza off and be done with it" Sasuke snapped his fingers in realization that they had a way to keep Tazuna safe without exerting themselves.

It wasn't an easy option to consider really "Naruto and I will go collect the money when Mibojin returns, I'm sure he won't stop at getting rid of Gato, but all of the man's hired thugs as well, then once we return, Sasuke and Sakura will go barter with Zabuza" Kakashi decided in the end.

Considering the rogue should still be recovering like he himself was and all they had to worry about was the fake hunter nin, who wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his master "But their just children Kakashi-san, how can you send them off on their own like that" Tsunami burst out.

Horrified of the plan that was being formed "Once you become a shinobi you're considered an adult Tsunami-san, we'll do it because this is the best way to resolve things peacefully" Sakura commented worried that things wouldn't go right but willing to go through with the plan anyway.

"Just be careful that's all I'll say alright" Tazuna grimaced, itching to drink his fears away that none of them would make it back despite having seen the spider summons in action, they could still fail in taking out all of the thugs and Gato himself.

Less than two hours later Mibojin returned "Gato is dead, so are all his thugs, do you have need of me for anything else Sakura-sama" the spider informed seriously glad that he was able to make things easier for his summons.

"Yes two things, show Naruto and Kakashi-sensei the way to Gato's hideout, then find out where Zabuza is" the fuscia haired preteen instructed, promising to give the spider a huge reward for doing all the hard work that he had been since they'd left the village.

Mibojin accepted his new orders with ease "Guess we'll be back soon" Naruto gulped fearful but willing to do his part in this plan as well, with that they were gone in a poof of smoke, body flickering to wherever Gato's hideout was.

Twenty minutes was all it took to acquire the accounting information to Gato's money, now it was Sasuke and Sakura's turn "Please be careful you two" the blue haired woman pleaded with the twelve year old's and they nodded.

"It's this way Sakura-sama, Sasuke-san" Mibojin instructed as they prepared themselves to head into the enemies strong hold, then in a flurry of cherry blossoms to Kakashi's immense surprise because he hadn't know the girl could use the body flicker technique they were gone.

Deep within the forest in a matter of minutes "Irome is in place on the rogue's partner, with that I wish you good luck Sakura-sama, Sasuke-san" then the leader of the red legged spider clan disappeared to wherever he was summoned from.

Leaving the two genin on their own "We're heading in Kakashi" the Uchiha whispered to Kafu, who relayed the information back to Hitomi who was sitting on the Jonin's shoulder this time, since Irome was currently unavailable.

Sneaking into the hideout was no easy task without alerting the man they were there until they were stood before him "What the devil, Haku kill them now" Zabuza snarled furious that they'd been infiltrated by two genin brats.

"Zabuza if I were you I'd retract that order, or I'll order my spider summons to kill him" the pinkette warned bluffing really, Irome could only inject a nonlethal dose of venom into his targets, worst case scenario Haku got sick, but Zabuza didn't know that which gave them the upper hand.

Eyes wide Zabuza jerked his head seeing that the two genin held all the cards in their hands since he couldn't really fight right now and he refused to lose his carefully molded tool "What do you want from us, we're not going to stop going after Tazuna's head" Haku frowned.

Clearly disturbed that he hadn't sensed them in the first place "And if we were to offer you something as incentive would you leave Tazuna-san alone then" Sasuke questioned hands deep in his pockets, nervous but staying calm since she was with him.

"There's nothing that you could offer me other than the bridge builders head on a silver platter to serve up to Gato" the rogue from Hidden Mist growled immediately rejecting the idea of giving up on going after the bridge builder, he needed that money after all.

What he didn't expect was for the girl to smirk "And if I told you that Gato was dead, along with all his thugs and that I was currently in possession of his funds would you give up then if I offered it to you" Sakura held out the scroll.

Only jerking it back when Zabuza struggled to get out of the bed "You'd give all that money to us to keep Tazuna safe" the ebony haired teenager that was Zabuza's partner asked in confusion, never having thought this would happen, not in a million years anyway.

Sakura nodded "He has a family, a daughter and a grandson, this land deserves better, also Gato wasn't planning on paying you anyway Zabuza, he was going to kill you, my summons told me so when I asked him to find where Gato was hiding and spy on him" the rosette admitted.

"Do we have a deal then" the Uchiha asked seeing the impact the news had on Zabuza and the teenager named Haku, they were shocked into disbelief that the man would betray them like that just because they'd failed once.

It was a hard decision to make until the rogue growled in frustration "Fine just don't expect any favors in the future stupid brats, now get that damn summons of yours off of Haku" Zabuza snarled unhappy that he'd been outwitted.

Even if they were technically saving his and Haku's lives really "By the way I was bluffing earlier, the leader of my summons is the only one that can kill with just one bite, while the rest are to young" Sakura announced plucking Irome from Haku's shoulder.

Freaking the teenager out because he hadn't noticed despite discretely looking himself over earlier "Is that what you did to Zabuza-sama during your fight five days ago, had one of them bite him" Haku inquired carefully still a little freaked out.

"Pretty much, come on Sakura, lets go, I'm sure Naruto's about to burst a vein out of worry" Sasuke snorted, Sakura handed over the scroll that was filled with Gato's funds for his corporation, took Sasuke by the hand and in a swirl of cherry blossoms was gone.

Body flickering a great distance back to Tazuna's house "We report the mission is complete" the rosette announced when they marched inside to the kitchen where everyone barring Inari was still sitting waiting for the news.

"So then Tazuna's safe from anymore rogues coming after him" Tsunami breathed out a sigh of relief pleased that there had been a much easier way of resolving their problems and that hope would truly come back to this land now that Gato was dead.

"How did you manage to convince that Zabuza guy to give up on killing me anyway" Tazuna asked in confusion, surely it hadn't come down to just the money being the only incentive to quit going after him.

Sasuke grit his teeth "Once Sakura told him that Gato was planning on offing him, he was all to happy to accept the deal, he seemed to care for his partner on a small degree as well" the raven haired preteen added.

Naruto blew out a breath "Now we can finish up this mission and go home right" the blonde looked to his sensei, who shook his head "But why" he sulked unhappy, even though this mission was technically his fault.

"We still have to protect Tazuna, others might come after him for revenge, Gato probably had a lot more thugs than what was at the hideout after all" the silver haired Jonin explained and Tazuna gulped realizing that it wasn't over just yet.

And he wasn't quite out of the woods either as dinner got started on courtesy of the two females, Inari was called down to eat and the lot of them went to bed, in the case of the genin though they took showers after a long day of working hard.


	17. Of Relationships and Treaties

Two weeks and two days later with only a week left on the mission the bridge to the mainland was nearly complete "Ugh yawn could this could anymore boring" Naruto sighed itching to train like they had been during the first five days of their mission.

Not to say they still didn't train a little bit, but it wasn't as intense as those initial days "Quit complaining Dope I'm bored to" Sasuke grunted, hiding his boredom behind a stoic mask, Naruto sulked but sucked it up and stopped whining like he'd been asked.

It was just them there with Tazuna while Sakura got all the luck staying with Tsunami and Kakashi patrolled the town to ensure no thugs or bandits snuck in "Just a little while longer Naruto, Sasuke, then you can run off and eat lunch" Tazuna chuckled amused.

~Meanwhile~

"Could you go into the forest out back for me Sakura, and pick some seasoning herbs" Tsunami requested of the young girl who hopped to her feet, pushed her chair in politely and snagged the wicker basket she was holding out.

Strapped her sandals onto her feet and then waved "Be back in a little bit Tsunami-san" Sakura called heading out the back door, shutting it quietly behind her, then trekking the seven feet it took to enter the forest on the hunt for herbs that would be good to flavor food.

As intent on her task as she was Sakura missed the chakra converging on her until it was to late, narrowly dodging the kunai to the back and swinging around to face her attacker completely on edge when she saw who it was.

"Well it's been a long time hasn't it Sakura-san, four years if I'm not mistaken, the fact that you broke my mind control doesn't surprise me though" Itachi was stood before her in all his seventeen year old glory.

Just seeing him was enough to make her remember all he'd done until she remembered that it hadn't been Itachi's fault, it didn't mean she wasn't still scared of him though "You what are you doing here" the pinkette gripped the wicker basket tightly.

Edging backwards not that she thought she'd be able to get away "I'm here to confirm something won't you indulge me on another request Sakura-san" the Uchiha heir admitted with that smile he'd used the last time he'd asked her something.

Sakura grit her teeth 'So he thinks I'm still easily manipulated' she thought to herself "A trade of information for the request, I want two questions answered honestly by you" Sakura straightened wanting to confirm the truth for herself.

If he was surprised he didn't show it "Very well, is it true that Danzo Shimura was thrown in jail on several charges five weeks ago" Itachi nodded figuring it wouldn't hurt anything to answer a couple of questions she had.

Not surprised he'd heard Sakura nodded "Yes, for the first question, why the hell did you let him manipulate you into killing your clan, surely there was a better way right" the rosette fired off her first question by basically letting Itachi know she knew about his secret mission.

There it was a much more open expression now, it was all the answer she really needed to be honest "Figures, you've always been smarter than the average civilian child, and I'm sure there was but I saw no end to it other than the way I ended things" the ebony haired seventeen year old said.

Relieved that he hadn't lied to her she blew out a breath "Did you kill Shisui I want the truth" Sakura demanded for her next question, it was something that had been eating her alive since the day she and Sasuke had broke into Danzo's office and stole those files.

"Understand Sakura-san that the last thing Shisui wanted was to hurt you, no I didn't kill him, once Danzo stole one of his eyes he jumped off the cliff that overlooked the Naka river" Itachi revealed the truth at long last to the girl who'd adored his friend so much.

Proving to still care deeply about him all these years even after Shisui's death when tears flooded her eyes "Thank you Itachi-san, you should go before Kakashi-sensei senses your chakra" the pinkette dried her eyes not wanting to cry.

His lips quirked up into a small smile "Keep looking after Sasuke-otouto for me" then the Uchiha was gone in a flurry of black crows, having been a clone all along then she hurriedly finished the task she'd been given and body flickered back to the civilians house.

Handing over the herbs she'd picked to Tsunami who took them with a grateful smile and turned to get started on lunch for them, while Sakura worked on changing the seals that protected the house, it was something she did every few days so the enemy didn't know what to expect.

Improving them to and adding new elements into the mix until the others returned "Everything seems fine down in the town" Kakashi said the minute he sat down missing the red rimmed eyes of the lone kunoichi.

But her friend certainly didn't "Leave guarding Tazuna to me after lunch" the silver haired male explained once food was plated up and placed before them so they could eat and Sasuke was glad for that fact because now he'd have a chance to talk to Sakura and ask her what had happened.

Naruto was as equally as oblivious and the minute they were done eating Sakura disappeared with Sasuke on her heels "Kami what's up with them" the blonde huffed wishing the two weren't so secretive all the time.

Up in the guest bedroom that Sakura was using, once the room had been sealed and soundproofed "Want to tell me why it looks like you've been crying" the ebony haired preteen inquired forcefully worried that something was wrong and wanting to be able to fix it.

"A clone of your brother was here a couple hours ago to ask me for some information about Danzo seeing as we got him thrown in jail, I managed to get a couple questions answered as well" Sakura explained knowing better than to hide the truth.

Sasuke straightened and looked her over critically "Did he do anything to you Sakura, I swear to kami even if I know that he wasn't the one at fault, if he did anything to you at all I'll kill him" Sasuke grit his teeth angrily.

Sakura held up her hand though "No he didn't do anything to me, but he confirmed that Danzo was the one who manipulated him and he felt killing your clan was the only way to end things peacefully, he also told me that he wasn't the one who killed Shisui" the pinkette announced.

The truth had finally come out after four long years of not really knowing and Sasuke slumped to his knee's letting all the tension drain out of him while covering his face with his hands, shoulders trembling "If it wasn't Itachi, then who" the preteen Uchiha questioned.

Keeping is head bowed and face covered "Shisui committed suicide when Danzo stole one of his eyes, he felt it was the only way" Sakura joined him on the floor letting out the tears she'd held back earlier only in Sasuke's presence.

As they cried for all they'd lost in that single night, their innocence and people dear to their hearts "Think we should ask Inoichi-san for a therapy session when we get back" Sasuke roughly dried his cheeks half an hour later when no more tears would come out.

Sakura sniffled and blew her nose "Probably for the best….whoa Sasuke you've awakened the Sharingan" the rosette burst out in excitement, digging into her pouch for a compact mirror and shoving it into Sasuke's hands.

Who held it up so he could see his eyes had indeed changed to the bloody red of their dojutsu with only one tomoe "Guess all that emotional trauma was good for something" the ebony haired preteen snorted snapping the mirror shut and returning it to Sakura while he deactivated his dojutsu.

Pleased that he'd finally awakened his kekkeigenkai, the two of them sat there on the floor for a little while longer until they knew they couldn't put off going downstairs "Bout time thought you two were going to stay locked away for the rest of the day" Naruto huffed at them.

"Sorry Naruto, something came up that it was urgent we talk about" Sakura soothed kindly knowing better than to brush Naruto off or have another tantrum on their hands, the last time had been bad enough and right now no one needed that.

"Did something happen while you were picking herbs Sakura" Tsunami inquired worried that the girl had been in danger, seeing the bloodshot eyes and puffy bags, she knew the girl had been crying what about they didn't know.

"Kinda it wasn't bad though in fact we got some good news about something" Sasuke tried to smile managing a small one so the Jonin didn't get suspicious, Kakashi wasn't even there though so he had nothing to worry about.

Just as he thought that Kakashi and Tazuna appeared "How much longer do you guys have here" Inari asked when he plopped down at the table with the others eager to eat dinner then run off to his room again.

"Another week Inari by then the bridge should be finished hopefully" Tazuna sighed looking exhausted and probably ready to be finished with his bridge by this point, even if there was very little danger the work was still tiring.

This earned a chuckle from Kakashi who turned his attention on the genin "For the rest of the week I'll be guarding Tazuna so you three can do whatever you like, train, be lazy you've worked hard so you deserve a little break" Kakashi announced.

Lifting their spirits as dinner was plated up and set before them so they could eat and then take showers before going to bed and on Kakashi's suggestion the following morning, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto went out to train.

For the rest of the week, polishing their skills and improving upon certain things until the bridge was complete and it was time to finally go home after a month long mission "Listen you three do not mention how we actually accomplished this mission alright" the silver haired Jonin warned.

While they headed for the mainland after packing their belongings to return to their village "But lying isn't right Kakashi-sensei, I won't be a liar" the pinkette narrowed her eyes on the man that had been her temporary sensei for a month.

It was something she absolutely hated after all, the Jonin sighed "I know Sakura, however we could be considered traitors for buying off a rogue like we did, so it's better to just not mention it, that way it wouldn't be lying just keeping the truth to yourself while reporting that the mission went well" Kakashi explained.

Hoping she wouldn't argue "You know he's right Sakura, better to just keep what happened to ourselves" Sasuke agreed with Kakashi in the next moment and Sakura slumped her shoulders relenting and promising to keep her mouth shut so she didn't have to lie.

Just like that they left the little land of waves behind "Finally going home hallelujah" Naruto cheered excitedly, he couldn't wait to see his village again, or his teammates and all the rest of his friends, even Mebuki and Kizashi who'd he'd missed this entire time as well.

A full day later, bright and early in the morning the red gates of the Hidden Leaf Village came into view and as they were signing in a certain Aburame appeared in a swirl of kikaichu apparently having learned the body flicker while they'd been gone.

His face was thunderous as he marched forward "Sakura never do that again when a mission is dangerous, why because I have been worried out of my mind" Shino growled gripping her wrist and pulling her into a hug so unlike himself.

Then to further everyone's shock including Sakura's made his feelings known by tugging down his coat collar and locking lips with the girl "Mmph" the pinkette jolted in surprise, emerald orbs wide at the sudden kiss.

"Wow that's Shino for you" the Uchiha of Team Seven grinned rooting on his friends who would no doubt become a couple now that Shino had made the first move, the guards were watching with their jaws hanging agape.

While Naruto covered his eyes and Kakashi simply stared wondering how this had happened in the first place "Okay I think that's enough mentally scarring Naruto-kun, Shino" the silver haired Jonin clapped.

Breaking the duo apart "Nah I'm good but still why did you have to do that in front of the gates where anyone can see it" the blonde shuddered, Sakura blushing from head to toe, while Shino just looked smug.

"My kikaichu picked up on the scent bag I gave Sakura, I thought it was time to stop being so indecisive, why because I don't want anyone else liking Sakura like that" the Aburame Heir said in a serious tone of voice.

That had even the guards fighting down their laughter, seemed little mister bug user was possessive of his girl and Sakura's blush darkened "Um err well it's nice to know you like me Shino" Sakura fidgeted cheeks hot and heart pounding from her first kiss.

"Right…anyway we're pretty tired Shino just got back after a month long mission you know, so you two will have to talk later about that sort of thing" Sasuke cleared his throat stopping relationship talks right in their tracks.

Sakura blew out a shaky breath "Very well, if you feel up to it later I'll be waiting you know where" Shino stated simply, their secret place that only two other people knew about, one of whom was no longer with them due to unfortunate circumstances that he didn't know about.

"Don't worry about reporting in I'll do that, just go home you three and get some rest" Kakashi waved the trio of genin off, promising to barter and give them at least two weeks off from missions that didn't endanger them hopefully after all their hard work.

"Got it Kakashi-sensei" Naruto waved as the three of them disappeared down the streets of the Leaf Village to home eager to see the older Haruno's again, only when they got there, Mebuki and Kizashi were no where to be found.

Until Sakura found a note "Looks like their off on one of their trips to sell merchandise to neighboring towns in Fire Country, seems Hokage-sama assigned them a Jonin escort, left yesterday and won't be back for a couple of weeks at the very least" the rosette read off.

Naruto and Sasuke let out matching sighs "Oh well no point in complaining, for now lets just get some shut eye" the Uchiha rubbed his eyes feeling exhausted, he hoped they got a couple days off or he was going to scream in frustration.

"Yeah that mission was crazy" the blonde nodded in understanding as they shucked their sandals uncaring of being neat for the time being, took nice relaxing showers, dropped their packs in the middle of their bedroom floors and crawled into their sorely missed beds to sleep.

When they did wake up it was nearly noon "Food first, then go talk to Shino, Sasuke would you please go do that thing we talked about" Sakura reminded Sasuke about what he'd proposed during that last week of the mission.

He nodded "Understood, therapy session with Inoichi Yamanaka, Dope, it's how we've been coping with what happened" Sasuke explained realizing they could exactly leave Naruto out of the loop forever since he knew a little bit of what happened anyway.

Clearly receiving that little bit of information was enough to make the boy over the moon "Thanks Sasuke after this I think I'm going to go find Kiba and Hinata-chan" Naruto admitted sorely missing his teammates presences.

Don't get him wrong he had enjoyed being on a team with Sasuke and Sakura greatly but they weren't the teammates he was use to "Hey you think once your finished talking to Shino about your future with each other, you could teach me the body flicker Sakura" the Uchiha asked.

Remembering seeing Shino use the technique and now he was the only one on the team who didn't know how to use it "Course I can Sasuke and when we have some time for ourselves I'll teach you to, Naruto, start thinking about what you want to use as your signatures" the pinkette relented.

The Uzumaki boy was on cloud nine at that point "We are going to be totally badass on missions" the blonde sniggered bouncing in his seat to the other two's amusement before lunch was finished and they all ate before splitting up.

Sakura on the hunt for her crush, Naruto on the search for his teammates and Sasuke all the way to T&I and around the building "May I help you with something Uchiha-san" the woman behind the desk asked not looking up because this was a usual occurrence.

"I'd like to set up a therapy session with Inoichi Yamanaka, Sakura Haruno and I, we've had some recent issues pop up that we'd like to talk out with him" Sasuke nodded requesting the therapy session as he'd gotten use to.

At that the receptionist did look up "Mm lets see, last known session was nearly eight months ago, Yamanaka-san is booked up all of today and tomorrow but he has two hours free for Thursday at noon will that be good enough" the woman flipped through the schedule book.

Finding the soonest possible date that the Uchiha would be content with "That's fine Ma'am thank you" the ebony haired preteen accepted the time and day, the information was written down on a little card and he stuffed it in his pocket.

On his way out he nearly rammed into Kakashi "What are you doing here at T&I" Kakashi frowned in concern, had something happened in the time frame that he'd left the trio of genin who'd been on the mission.

"Scheduled a therapy session for Sakura and I, just had some recent issues pop up that we'd like to talk out, so how did mission report go, did Lord Hokage cuss you out for allowing us to continue the mission" Sasuke explained before shifting into a teasing sort of mood.

Kakashi rolled his one visible eye "It went well, and no Hokage-sama didn't cuss me out, he did however give you, Naruto and Sakura, two weeks off, while Kiba and Hinata continue working with Shino and Shibi-sama" the silver haired Jonin announced.

Better than nothing Sasuke supposed as Kakashi waved and went to hurry into T&I HQ "Uh Kakashi there's something I'd like to ask you" the ebony haired preteen blurted so unlike his usual aloof self, this was important though.

The man swung around visible brow raised "Would you be at all amenable since I have the next two weeks off, training me on how to use the Sharingan, mine awakened, just haven't had a chance to practice or understand it yet" Sasuke straightened.

Asking seriously now to make the Jonin see he didn't want to be blown off on this "Very well but remember Sasuke you did ask, just know the training isn't going to be easy" Kakashi warned before finally heading in to T&I.

Leaving Sasuke alone to make the trek home, on the way he did stop and buy some groceries for the house remembering that the food stock had been low when Sakura had cooked and even went so far as to put the groceries away before sitting at the table and reading an informative book.

~Meanwhile~

Sakura had found where Shino was creeping about "You kissed me and confessed Shino does that mean you know that I like you" Sakura said the minute she spotted him he was alone and she thanked her lucky stars for that.

At her voice and question the bug user turned to face her "Did you dislike it Sakura and for awhile now, it was on our second day of being genin, why because it was when you said you loved us, I figured out that your feelings were genuine towards me then" Shino frowned.

Not really having thought she'd seek him out so soon it had only been a few hours after all, Sakura went red in the face though blushing madly as she remembered their kiss "No I didn't exactly dislike it Shino and oh" the pinkette fidgeted.

Becoming the shyest he'd ever seen her and damn if he didn't think it was cute "Then would you like to try being in a relationship with me, why it seems to be the only solution to our dilemma" the brunet pointed out carefully.

Feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest, the hissing of his kikaichu were steadily rising in excitement when Sakura looked at him with those vibrant green eyes of hers, shining with emotion.

Until she shyly nodded "I'd like that Shino-kun but can I ask that we wait until my parents get back from their trip before going on a date" Sakura requested kindly ready to scream to the rooftops that her crush liked her back and that they were going to be in a relationship.

Having thought of multiple scenarios, her parents being gone not one of them "We have a deal then" Shino nodded stepping forward and Sakura blushed four shades of red when he tugged his coat collar down, leaned forward and connected their lips again.

Pulling away all to soon as it was much lighter than their first and he disappeared in a swirl of kikaichu beetles, speaking of beetles she needed to check on her panda ant colony and the giant goliath beetle of her first mission to make sure they were doing alright.

During that time Naruto had found his own teammates and were having a blast with them as Sakura body flickered home in a swirl of cherry blossoms "According to Kakashi we have two weeks off, you, me and the Dope" the raven haired preteen said.

The moment she stepped foot in the house, knowing her chakra like the back of his hand "Me and Shino are going to try for a relationship, anything else, what about the therapy session how soon" the fuscia haired preteen shucked her sandals and put them away nice and neat in a cubby.

"Thursday at noon, for two hours, also I asked Kakashi to train me on my sharingan for the next two weeks, he'll probably teach me other things while he's at it most likely just to warn you" Sasuke added next.

His teammate nodding in acceptance "Good enough for me and good luck, anyway I'm going to kip upstairs real quick and check on my colony and Saidai" Sakura sped through the living room charging up the stairs.

Saidai was what she'd chosen to name that gigantic beetle they'd removed from that young couples home on their first mission when she'd kept him and Sasuke shook his head with a snort of amusement shoving his nose back in his book.

Until she came back downstairs looking all happy practically floating as she flitted about cleaning random objects "I was thinking we could sneak into the Uchiha Compound again to borrow some books from the library there" the Uchiha commented suddenly.

And Sakura jerked her head in his direction weighing the pro's and con's of the idea before relenting "One of these days your going to have to ask Hokage-sama for proper access so we don't have to keep sneaking in" the pinkette huffed with a roll of her eyes.

Making him shrug sheepishly in response, just then the door flew open with a great clatter "NARUTO UZUMAKI IS HOME BELIEVE IT" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs in his usual exuberant knucklehead way.

Causing them to laugh and exchange smiles at his hilarious antics "Welcome home then Naruto, so do either of you want to go out back and start practicing the body flicker" Sakura greeted glad that she was finally able to say it even after having the boy live with them for two months.

It was something she still hadn't quite gotten use to "Let's go then, no time like the present after all" Sasuke snapped his book shut and was on his feet half a second later with that the three of them traipsed out the back door to get some training under way.

Sakura in the lead as usual "So how do you even do the technique is it really hard Sakura-chan, also you mentioned to think about what we want as our signatures what did you mean by that" the blonde of the group questioned immediately.

When they were stood before her "Basically adding your own unique element to the technique, like how Sakura can use cherry blossom petals, we can do that to" the ebony haired preteen explained not leaving everything up to Sakura.

Who nodded "Exactly and no it's not that difficult, well not now anyway since you've been practicing chakra control for a month, what you want to do is make this hand sign, focus your chakra and intent on a certain place and let it take you there" the rosette instructed.

Demonstrating by popping around their backyard in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Can I ask how long you've been able to do that Sakura-chan" Naruto asked closing his eyes and making the hand sign necessary for the technique.

Remembering to focus his chakra and intent on the task "Since I was eight Naruto, one of Sasuke's clan-mates taught me" Sakura admitted thinking on Shisui fondly to keep his memory alive for the rest of her life.

Naruto frowned at that and found himself falling forward "Nice Naruto, now it's my turn" Sasuke smirked seeing the knucklehead execute the technique by falling flat on his face, though he didn't manage any better by falling into the rosebushes on accident.

To Sakura's amusement while Naruto let out obnoxious laughter "Ahaha Teme the look on your face" the blonde rolled on the ground laughing his head off at the moment and wishing he had a camera to take a picture.

Just as he thought that a flash went off and he caught Sakura hastily sealing her camera away "Sakura that wasn't cool in the least, delete that photo" the Uchiha whined in a decidedly unmanly way setting off the laughter of both of his friends.

"Nope sorry this one's going in the album for sure Sasuke" the pinkette snickered until the three of them managed to calm down and get back to practicing until they could properly execute the body flicker technique with very little incident on their parts.

With that they traipsed back into the house "You'll have to show us tomorrow how to add our own elements I think for me I want black crow feathers, what about you Naruto" Sasuke turned to the blonde to debate body flicker elements.

"Mm don't know, something ramen or seal related I guess, oooh how about this in case of emergencies I have storage seals as my signature and if the situation is really dangerous I can unseal them with a flare of my chakra to have a whole bunch of weapons come out" Naruto chattered excitedly.

As he thought of a totally awesome idea that probably next to no one had ever thought up "Then I would suggest you get started on drawing those seals Naruto and figure out what weapons you want to put in them" Sakura smiled.

Cooking up an early dinner because truly the three of them were still pretty exhausted and now that the day was winding down that tiredness was catching up with them, and once they were done eating the three of them crawled back into bed to get some more sleep.

On the following morning after breakfast Kakashi showed up to whisk Sasuke away "Could you go to the hospital and get a letter of recommendation for me, I want to be officially trained at the hospital as well" the Uchiha asked on his way out.

"Got it Sasuke, come on Naruto, then we'll go to the market for Sasuke's black crow feathers and find the type of weapon you want to use for your signature, then we'll come back here and draw out the storage seals" the rosette finished cleaning up the kitchen.

Putting on a determined expression as she and Naruto left the house "You know I thought Sasuke was kidding about that" the blonde admitted as they weaved through the crowd on a straight path to the hospital.

"Anyone would really to be honest, ah I'd like a letter of recommendation for a friend of mine who's interested in being trained by a medic" Sakura requested as they stopped before the desk, thankfully it wasn't the same receptionist as last time so hopefully this will be a little easier.

The woman looked up, glanced to Naruto, who shook his head then started rifling around in the desk "Here you are, no guarantee he'll be accepted though" the woman said handing over the letter and Sakura gently stuffed it in her pouch.

Before she and Naruto left the hospital "Why did that lady say that, was she talking about Sasuke" Naruto frowned wondering why people seemed to dislike Sasuke besides stupid insipid fan-girls that was as they headed for the market.

Sakura pressed her lips together "Yeah I think so, even after all this time people still have an issue with Uchiha's" the pinkette gnashed her teeth together grinding them in frustration, she really itched to punch people for it but she didn't want to get in trouble.

Naruto shuddered "Oh look the store Sakura-chan" the blonde said to distract his friend from her very violent thoughts, he grabbed three packs of blank tags and Sakura found the authentic black crow feathers before they searched around the shop for interesting weapons.

"What about these Naruto and if you asked nicely Sasuke might even teach you the shuriken shadow clone jutsu" Sakura called him over twenty minutes later to look at a pack of dark orange colored shuriken.

That instantly peaked his interest "I'll take them" Naruto nodded seriously grabbing the pack and a new whetstone so that he wasn't relying on Sakura and Sasuke all the time to sharpen his weapons, and with their objectives in hand, bought the items then headed back home.

Where they both got started on drawing out the storage seal on the tags until their hands ached, afterwards all the shuriken was sealed within before they headed out back until Naruto could successfully use the tags in conjunction with the body flicker technique.

By the time Sasuke got back from training with Kakashi on his sharingan, Naruto was exhausted "Did you get the letter of recommendation for me like I asked" Sasuke held out his hand and the paper was put in it.

Now all that was left was to find Shibi and get it signed as he plopped down in a chair to tired to do that right now "Should I get started on lunch" Sakura mused both boys nodded eagerly starving after working their chakra extensively as they had.

So she popped up and headed for the fridge just as a knock came on the front door, Sasuke and Naruto groaned in frustration as Sakura abandoned her task of cooking them food to answer the door and when she came back there was a masked man following her.

"Hokage-sama summoned Sasuke and I, apparently the uh Raikage is here for a treaty" the rosette grimaced, guess lunch was going to have to wait until after the meeting for whatever the Hokage wanted them for.

Naruto plonked his head on the table with a resounding crack and Sasuke winced "We'll be back in a bit then Naruto" the Uchiha patted Naruto on the back, knowing the boy was frustrated over being excluded from the meeting.

"Yeah, yeah better hurry before the old man gets angry" the blonde waved them off sounding sad, still starving and now alone as his two best friends left him to have a meeting with the Hokage about the Raikage of all people.

Eight minutes later Sasuke and Sakura were stood before their leaders desk, a large dark skinned man standing off to the side and two Cloud Jonin by the wall in the back of the office "Good of you to come Sasuke, Sakura" Hiruzen nodded.

Relieved the two hadn't ignored his summons "I'm well aware that Mr. & Mrs. Haruno are out right now but we've had a malfunction at our major guest hotel and I'd like to put Raikage-san and his guards in your more than capable hands" the Hokage clasped his hands together.

Speaking calmly knowing he could trust these two genin maybe he should consider them for an early promotion to Chunin without taking the exams, it would be wasted on them anyway "Okay we have a couple of pull out couches but no spare bedrooms" Sakura tapped her lip.

Glancing surreptitiously at the Raikage who sensed her gaze and sneered but nodded in acceptance "Right I nearly forgot that Naruto-kun is living with you" Hiruzen sighed, perhaps he was making a mistake the house would be cramped and the kids might just go insane.

"Yeah, it's been a total joy though" Sasuke snorted and Sakura smacked him upside the head, a cough sounded behind them followed by the Raikage clearing his throat getting the meeting back on track as the two genin brats relented to the request to have him and his men stay with them.

With that they were dismissed "Civilian section aren't you a shinobi what self respecting ninja lives in the civilian section" the onyx eyed blonde asked rudely of the young girl when he realized where they were being led to.

Sakura ground her teeth and took deep breaths to cool her temper "My parents are civilians that's why Sir" the rosette explained once she'd reigned in her anger with astounding control to Sasuke's awe because he really thought she'd been about to tear into the guy.

"Why is an Uchiha living with you then, why not in the Uchiha Compound" the blonde persisted and Darui was shooting him looks that said shut up at that point when the girl clenched her hands into white knuckled fists.

And the Uchiha took three steps away from her on reflex "Because my entire clan is dead, barring me and one other, her parents took me in" the raven haired preteen admitted carefully eyeballing his teammate warily.

Until she managed to calm down again by then they'd reached the house "Home already, what did old man Ho…." the blonde that lived them rounded the corner that led to the foyer when he heard the door opening then shutting only to trail off eyeing the huge guy in the doorway.

Followed by two more unfamiliar people to him and he immediately shied away from them, Sakura was ready to kill something seeing Naruto's reaction to strangers in their home "Just take off your shoes, make yourselves comfy, lunch will be ready soon" Sakura announced.

Nudging Naruto forward by the shoulders making him follow her into the kitchen "Their staying here for I don't know how long, the big one is the Raikage" Sasuke explained joining the knucklehead at the table.

As Sakura finally got started on a belated lunch "Oh okay no helping it I guess" Naruto nodded in understanding while watching Sakura cook it was always something to see after all, she made it look like some kind of art form.

Forty minutes later it was done, plated up with heaping helpings for the guys and Sakura called the Raikage and his escorts into the kitchen "Earlier we didn't introduced ourselves, I'm Darui" the younger dark skinned male said introducing himself.

"Well you already know our first names, but I'm Sakura Haruno, like Hokage-sama said my parents are currently out doing their merchant business like they so often do" the pinkette held out her hand and Darui shook it.

Pleased that at least one of the Cloud Jonin were polite as they sat around the table to eat with them "And I'm Cee" the rude onyx eyed blonde scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest when the girl held out her hand for him to shake.

He was going to refuse until he got a subtle warning glance from the Raikage "Naruto Uzumaki here, I wasn't called into the meeting cause Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme are totally badass you know" the goofy blonde kid flashed them a whiskered grin as he stated his full name.

"Ay, but I demand respect Raikage-sama will do" the Raikage said and didn't shake her hand and she seemed to understand that he wouldn't as she didn't hold out her hand in the first place, good at least the little brat was smart.

"Sasuke Uchiha but you already knew that" the ebony haired snorted and got kicked lightly in the shin, introductions complete they dug into the delicious meal, all chatter dying down as they ate before all the food had been devoured by obviously hungry males.

She was just rising from her chair, giving a pointed glare at the two boys to clean up when a crash sounded from upstairs "Is that Saidai, did he get out again" Naruto frowned skin crawling at the thought of having to try and catch that stupid goliath beetle again.

"Yep Saidai is out" Sasuke sighed as the beetle himself buzzed around the kitchen at high speeds to the shock of the Raikage and his two men while Sakura leaped from her chair, snagged a bug net from a cabinet and chased after it.

Cursing and profanity filled the air as Sasuke slunk after his teammate with an extra bug net to help catch her loose gigantic creature "I think he might be lonely" Sakura said a half an hour later when she finally managed to wrangle Saidai back into his huge bug habitat.

"Just how do you figure that Sakura-san" Darui grimaced not sure what to think anymore after that earlier display what kind of kid was this girl, keeping bugs as pets was absolutely creepy and he was more than a little freaked out from it.

"It's his instincts, when goliath beetles reach the adult stage, their supposed to find a mate and repeat the process, but we think he was born in a house so therefore he's been in captivity since the moment he reached the adult stage" Sasuke said with the patience of a saint.

Having heard the lecture only about a thousand times courtesy of his sensei and Shino, plus a hundred times from Sakura herself when she'd decided to keep the damn beetle "Why not release it into the wild then" Cee snorted thinking it was a simple solution to the problem.

"Only thing is he might not know how to survive on his own since he's been in a bug habitat for two months now" Naruto announced flipping through a book as he settled at the low table in the living room as they moved from the kitchen to be more comfortable.

The Raikage curled his lip wondering what he'd gotten himself into by agreeing to this horseshit of an idea by his Feudal Lord "Then find him a mate and stop talking about it" Ay sneered tired of the conversation about a stupid insect of all things.

After that the genin settled down to read or sharpen their weapons in Sasuke's case before it was dinner time at long last like before Sakura cooked and just as she was getting ready to turn off the stove a hideous banging erupted on the front door.

She jerked and her open palm hit the still hot burner, Sakura flinched on reflex while Sasuke jumped up "Hold still Sakura" the Uchiha hissed gripping her wrist and ignoring the knocking "Dope get me the aloe vera from her medical pouch" he urged.

While Naruto ran for the hills, less than a minute and a half later he was back with the aloe vera "Got it, here Sasuke" the blonde held the bottle out as Sasuke dragged Sakura into the kitchen him following with the aloe vera, and made her open her hand and run it under cool water for the time being.

"You know Sasuke I can handle a burn myself" the pinkette rolled her eyes over his sudden fussing of her injury but held her hand under the spray of water at his insistence while he went to deal with the culprit banging on the door.

During the time he was gone dealing with their rude knocker she turned off the tap and raised a glowing green hand to her burn injury, healing it to the best of her abilities and using the aloe vera since she couldn't heal it all the way just yet before wrapping some bandages around her hand.

To Cee's confusion "Who was it Sasuke-san" the younger dark skinned male asked when Sasuke returned sporting a very irritated look in his eyes and a scowl worthy of Fugaku Uchiha himself on his lips, whoever it had been had pissed him off to epic proportions.

"Ami Himekari, old school-mate that didn't pass the exams on the first round came to tell Sakura that if she ever endangered me on a mission again that she'd mop the floor with you" the boy scoffed as if that could ever happen, Sakura was in a league all her own after all.

Before he focused his attention on the girl herself and found the injury dealt with "She healed it while you were otherwise busy" the onyx eyed blonde informed still a little shocked at how quickly the injury had been dealt with.

Sasuke slumped into a chair with a long suffering sigh "Go to bed brats it looks like you could use some early shut eye" the Raikage ordered sending the genin scrambling for their personal bathrooms to shower and go to bed like he'd ordered.

Later on that night, much later near two in the morning, a yell sounded through the house that had everyone instantly awake and on edge "Sasuke, Sakura-chan some lunatic just tried to kill me but I impaled him with my body flicker storage seal idea" Naruto announced.

When the Raikage and his two escorts flew up the stairs to make sure the genin that were hosting them were alright "Excellent work Naruto" Sasuke smirked clapping the boy on the back for having such an awesome idea in the first place.

"Body flicker storage seal idea" Ay asked in confusion as he stepped into the goofy boys room to find a man in a mask impaled with a lot of orange shuriken much more than the boy should have been able to use in just a few minutes.

Naruto and Sasuke nodded "He came up with the idea to use tags with the storage seal on them for his signature during the body flicker technique, to which he sealed three pouches full of shuriken in them, Ninja Art: Red Legged Spider Summoning Jutsu" Sakura explained.

Flying through a set of hand signs and summoning the leader of her summons "I see you have an intruder Sakura-sama, no matter do you wish for me to bite him" Mibojin noted and then wondered at what his summoner planned.

Sakura crinkled her nose in though "Might be good for information, tie him up in your web, Sasuke go to T&I and get someone above Chunin rank to come and take him so that we can go back to bed, I'm not going to see Inoichi-san dead tired tomorrow" the pinkette instructed.

In the next moment Sasuke was gone and Naruto watched with some interest as Mibojin worked to tie up his attacker, "Is that how you got Mizuki-sensei when I had that moment of stupidity" the blonde asked curiously.

"Mizuki who's that" Cee questioned with a frown still wondering what the hell was going on in the Leaf Village and why a genin was being attacked like this in the dead of night, had the boy done something unlikely because he seemed way to naive.

"Yes Naruto that's how I got Mizuki-sensei, and he was one of our academy sensei's but the day of graduation he turned traitor, but doofball here was gullible and fell for his if you steal this forbidden scroll and learn a jutsu from it you can be a ninja crap" Sakura scowled.

Eye twitching madly in remembrance of that god awful day, Ay's brows went high into his hairline at that "Sounds like you three have been through quite a few ordeals" Darui commented just as Sasuke returned.

"Trust me you have no idea what we've been through" Sasuke groaned as the man he'd brought who was Jonin level roughly yanked out Naruto's shuriken and threw the man over his shoulder, then in a plume of smoke was gone.

Naruto sighed and collected his discarded weapons, sealing them back in the tags before the lot of them crawled back into bed or onto the pullout couches that had been made extra comfortable for the Cloud Shinobi to get some more sleep.


	18. Of Issues, Truths and Adoptions

"Oi where do you two think your going" Cee demanded to know the next day when they'd finished eating an early lunch, the Raikage already neck deep in treaty negotiations with the Hokage and he caught two of the genin preparing to head off.

Leaving him and Darui with the last remaining genin "Therapy session" Sasuke admitted shamelessly "Still have issues from a trauma I've had for about four years now" he continued not really explaining truthfully.

"So Sakura-san is going with you for moral support" Darui asked in confusion, Naruto shifting his eyes from person to the next knowing the truth now after all this time but apparently it was back to the usual diversion tactic for the Cloud Shinobi.

At the question his very first friend if he was being honest, nodded "Precisely, for moral support, anyway we really need to get going" Sakura rolled with the obvious excuse and ushered Sasuke out the door since they already had their sandals on.

Then down the streets to T&I, only to go around the building to the much smaller friendlier building that was for mental trauma "Just on time, Mr. Yamanaka will see you two now" the receptionist greeted.

When the two twelve year's that have been having regular therapy sessions entered the waiting room, but at her statement Sasuke and Sakura headed for the door, knowing the way to Inoichi's office by heart from how many times they'd been there.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, have a seat and I'll ask a simple question that I want you both to answer, how was your night did you sleep well" Inoichi greeted kindly and both mentally traumatized kids relaxed.

Sitting down in the comfortable oversized plushy chairs "Not exactly Inoichi-san, someone broke in last night around two and tried to kill Naruto" the Uchiha admitted, he'd actually had a hard time going back to sleep after that.

"Me either, was to paranoid really, even with a Kage class shinobi and two of his best Jonin staying in the house" the pinkette grimaced, Inoichi frowned not quite what he expected as he scribbled down notes on his clipboard like usual.

Reviewing past notes at the same time "Okay maybe think of someway to reinforce the window with weapon proof glass or seals I know you and Naruto-san are very good at them Sakura-chan, you can also do that to every window in the house and the doorways" the blonde suggested.

Finding an easy solution to the problem at hand, emerald orbs lit up in realization "We should totally do what we did for Tazuna's house" Sasuke smirked remembering how they'd given the civilian family the protection of a fortress without the actual guards.

"It's definitely a thought, I'll have to ask how Naruto feels about it when we get home" Sakura tapped her lip trying not to delve to deep in thoughts right now since they were currently in a therapy session and they couldn't implement the idea's given.

One problem down he figured there were still several to get through "Right then you said issues have popped up, what kind of issues Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan" Inoichi looked between the two almost teenagers that were fully qualified genin now.

Sasuke eyed Sakura and she nodded "We've been having a couple of nightmares, er Shisui, yes she got over that by the way, left us some gifts for when we became genin but we had to go into the Uchiha Compound to get them, it brought back some of that trauma" the ebony haired preteen said.

Feeling like an idiot while Inoichi clicked his pen and started scribbling more notes on that clipboard of his "That's good you managed to get over losing Shisui-san, however the next time you wish to go into the Uchiha Compound ask permission" the Yamanaka Patriarch chuckled.

Kids were reckless but he couldn't blame them this time around, they most likely wouldn't have gotten permission to retrieve the gifts Shisui had left for them if they had asked "Don't have to worry Inoichi-san, I've already lectured Sasuke on that" the rosette grinned.

While he rolled his eyes in exasperation to Inoichi's amusement "Very well what seems to be the issue for you Sakura-chan" Inoichi set his attention on Sakura, who'd been letting Sasuke do all the talking so far.

"Apparently I really hate liars and I have a really bad temper, I feel like I'll snap at anyone nowadays even with all the etiquette about minding my manners and remaining polite instilled in me" Sakura was right back to grimacing.

By her side the Uchiha snorted "Not that you didn't already have a foul temper Sakura, it's merely, ow, gotten worse, ow, see we really need to get her, ow, some anger management Inoichi-san" Sasuke piped in teasing his friend only to be repeatedly punched in the arm gently of course.

Sakura would never really seriously maim him unless it was during a spar then he was fair game and so was she "The idea does hold merit, when you feel like hitting someone, punch a pillow instead or fiddle with something, counting backwards helps to" the blonde listed some ideas.

Hoping that at least one of them would work for Sakura "For disliking liars, hmm some people are going to lie regardless if you like them or not, it's part of being a shinobi, the lies keep you alive longer if you know what I mean" the Yamanaka Patriarch explained.

Unsure of how to really help Sakura on her second issue "It's okay wasn't really expecting much on that front Inoichi-san" the pinkette shrugged she'd really only wanted to talk about it knowing it would help and it had, because now she felt much better about the subject of liars.

It had been a point of issue for her since the start of academy though so she figured it was something that would always be ingrained in her "My sharingan awakened, decided to train with it and become a medic-nin the world's first Uchiha Medic" the raven haired preteen admitted.

Announcing his new dream "Congratulations Sasuke, it seems you've finally moved on from your family's massacre" Inoichi clapped proud of the boy for overcoming a difficult struggle such as hating his older brother for what Itachi had done.

"That's right, I, very much hate people that still treat Uchiha's like their nothing more than dirt, when I started training under a medic at the hospital the receptionist accused Sasuke of using his sharingan to forge our sensei's name when he didn't even have the dojutsu yet" Sakura ranted.

Outing yet another issue "Prove to them that their wrong about Sasuke-kun if anyone can do it, it's you Sakura-chan, but it's also up to Sasuke-kun to, now before I wrap up this session, how are you two doing in a general sense" the blonde stated calmly then moved onto the final question.

"Pretty good Inoichi-san, Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san have really become like another set of parents to me, I think Father and Mother would approve of them, living with Naruto has been something else though, but I can't imagine living my life any other way" the Uchiha explained.

Feeling nice and relaxed by this point, all of his worries miles away for the time being as Sakura took her turn "Same, everything's been great since we became genin except for that A Rank Mission mishap that nobody got hurt on, life has been wonderful" the rosette smiled.

"Good, good, also good luck on training to be a medic Sasuke-kun with that our session is over, don't be afraid to come back if you need another, also if there is anyway you can convince Naruto-san to come in for a session to that would be great I feel like he might need it" Inoichi announced ending the session.

To which both preteens stood "See you" the blonde waved as they nodded at his hinting, they would probably have to do a lot of coercing and with that the duo were gone, trekking slowly back to the house, hearts light now that they'd gotten some things off their chests.

Until they were back home and shucking their sandals "How did the therapy session go" Naruto was right there, relieved to have his friends back and the two Cloud Shinobi could stop nagging him about things he didn't know.

"Really good actually, though Inoichi-san mentioned having you come in for one, no one will judge you for it just remember that okay, he also gave us an interesting suggestion to prevent what happened last night from happening again" Sakura was the one to answer this time.

Sasuke putting their sandals away in the cubby otherwise Mebuki would smack them upside the heads for being so messy "You two are good at seals, do the same thing you did to Tazuna's house" Sasuke reminded when Naruto looked confused.

Baby blue eyes lit up though at the mention of the very protected civilian house back in the Land of Waves "Oh yeah we can totally do that" the blonde grinned eager to practice his fuinjutsu again with Sakura who was really awesome when it came to improving old seals and the like.

"Just let me go get my books, tags, scroll, chakra ink and brush, I'll grab yours to Sakura-chan if that's okay" Naruto waited for a nod then zipped off to his room and then Sakura's, as they headed for the living room.

In a couple of minutes he was back, carrying a stack of fuinjutsu books, a bag of blank scrolls, a stack of blank tags with two ink-pots and brushes balanced precariously on top of it all "Hold up what's all that stuff for" Darui frowned wondering what the genin were plotting now.

Then he saw the titles to some really advanced fuinjutsu books "Fuinjutsu is not for genin" Cee glared reaching out to take the books away when the lone girl smoothly stood in front of him, emerald orbs narrowed and arms crossed over her chest.

"Cee-san you are a guest in this house, you don't have that right to tell us what we can and can't do, or try to take away our belongings, yes you are an adult but not our parent, and besides the Hokage was the one who gave him the books, so don't do that again" the pinkette warned.

Fury etched into her eyes, Naruto eeped and hid behind Sasuke afraid of his friend as she radiated anger maybe even a small level of killing intent to if he wasn't imagining things, Cee took a couple steps back "Right understood" the onyx eyed blonde nodded.

Sitting down on the couch and reminding himself not to get on that girl's bad side ever again "Deep breaths Sakura, I'd have probably done the same without knowing the situation to" the Uchiha instructed carefully not wanting her to fly off the handle at him either.

Cee should be lucky that she didn't try to take a swing at him, that would have been disastrous "That Kid has issues" the dark skinned male grimaced when Sakura stormed off to cool down probably, though he did understand her anger though, Cee had been in the wrong this time.

"Believe me you don't even want to know Darui-san" the younger blonde sighed and plonked his head at the low sitting table, exhausted and it wasn't even bed time yet, Sakura was always taking the heat for him and maybe he really should go see that Inoichi guy for a therapy session.

Eight minutes later Sakura was back, but before she could get comfortable on the floor someone knocked on the door, Sasuke was quicker though and two minutes later he was back with Shino "I thought I'd drop by for a visit and stay for dinner, why because we're…." Shino began.

Only to trail off as he noticed people he didn't know sitting in his now girlfriends house "Shino-kun, Cee-san and Darui-san, their Raikage-sama's escorts who's here for a treaty between Leaf and Cloud, Cee-san, Darui-san, this is Sasuke's and I's last teammate Shino Aburame" Sakura introduced without skipping a beat.

"Wait I thought Naruto-san was your teammate isn't that why your all living together so that you can really get into team spirit" Darui questioned immediately as Shino sat ridiculously close to Sakura to be decent in his eyes if he was being honest.

"Dope has no parents and Sakura's parents took us both in years apart" Sasuke piped in watching the duo work on their seals, coming up with intricate seals that would protect the house from intruders, kami that had been awful.

Darui creased his brow "Just how is it Sakura-san's parents knew you well enough that they'd offer their home up to you" Cee pressed determined to get some sort of information out of the kids, while Sasuke went rigid.

Looking to Sakura for some help "Because in all but blood their family, same with me, Sakura-chan really took that whole will of fire thing to a completely different level than old man Hokage did" Naruto commented helping out a little.

"The will of fire to see everyone as family, civilians, other shinobi, blood relations don't matter that is our way" the Aburame heir went further into detail on their philosophy to make the Cloud Shinobi understand them better.

Hopefully anyway "Basically what their saying is that we hung out a lot to consider each other family especially after the….." the Uchiha stopped in his tracks as Sakura slapped a hand over his mouth, lips pressed into a stern frown.

Sasuke backtracked realizing he'd almost revealed the truth to people who didn't know "Let's just leave it at that okay, anyway we really need to get to work on those seals" the pinkette cleared her throat to get them back on the task at hand.

"Roger that Sakura-chan" the goofy blonde knucklehead Uzumaki saluted, diving head first into one of the few things he enjoyed, while Shino watched, knowing they couldn't reveal the truth to him just yet and not upset over it.

He had a lot of patience in regards to Sakura with the daily trouble she got into and most of it wasn't even her fault, eventually Naruto made over thirty clones and gave them the task of covering every surface inside and outside of the house with the seals he and Sakura had made.

It took over two hours while the original got to sit down and do nothing and Sakura started an early dinner just as it was turning five, the door was thrown open "WHAT THE FUCK WHY DID I GET ZAPPED" the Raikage boomed in a furious voice.

And Sakura shot Naruto an irritated glance before going to fix his little mistake "Sorry about that Raikage-sama, we covered the house in seals to prevent another intruder, Naruto must of messed up something, I'll fix it" Sakura scowled over her shoulder.

At the sheepish looking blonde "You still love me right Sakura-chan" Naruto pouted as she worked quickly and five minutes later the seal was adjusted, Sakura rolled her eyes and let out a long suffering sigh but relented by nodding.

The boy really was just a goofy prankster that was starved for friendship she didn't care what Mizuki-sensei said, beast sealed inside him whatever, it never influenced Naruto after all and she wasn't going to start hating him because of it.

For all she knew he was the one who was saving them from it breaking loose and wreaking havoc on their village and anyone else who said otherwise could go jump off the Hokage Mountain "Um Sakura you kind of zoned out there" Sasuke drew her from her deep, deep thoughts.

And she found herself seated at the table eating already "Leave the kid alone, I'm surprised she hasn't gone insane being around you day in and day out, needing therapy like this afternoon" Darui snorted.

Sakura went rigid "Darui-san please keep that particular comment to yourself, just because Sasuke needs therapy doesn't mean he's insane and besides most of his issues have been worked out" the pinkette reigned in her anger very quickly and managed to talk in a polite sounding tone.

Very upset that the man was commenting on Sasuke's therapy sessions that she was a huge part of as well, like a lightbulb going off, onyx eyes widened "You didn't go for moral support did you Sakura-san, the session was as much for you as it was for Sasuke-san" Cee pointed out for everyone.

"The question is, why do you need therapy sessions brat" Ay prodded forcefully glancing towards the unknown brat but wanting his question answered right then and there, treaties after all meant an alliance what better time to start getting to know some of his new found allies than now.

Well not yet but soon "Because she lost someone very close to her heart, my apologies I am Shino Aburame, their teammate on Team Seven the reason I am here, why to see them after they've been gone on a month long mission" Shino drove the knife in deeper.

"I witnessed something horrible alongside Sasuke the rest is forbidden to speak about by Hokage-sama" Sakura blew out a breath keeping the explanation simple so she didn't have to reveal the whole truth thankfully.

Mind flashing back briefly to that night, but she forcefully shoved the images to a back-burner to hopefully not think on them anymore "You know you seem awfully reluctant to speak about the whole truth, we won't tell the Hokage if you don't Sakura-san" the onyx eyed blonde insisted.

Wanting to learn more now that his interest had been peaked, what horrible thing had the two genin witnessed, how old had they been, how had it had been so terrible that they still needed therapy sessions long after the event had happened.

"Uh-oh not a good thing to say to Sakura, keeping things hidden and lying about it aren't really in her nature" the ebony haired preteen grimaced when Sakura grit her teeth and then without even eating just left the table.

It was all to much for her "Leave this to me why because Sakura is someone important" the brunet heir was quick to hurry after his girlfriend and found her in her room, hugging a pillow to her chest and staring blankly ahead of her.

"Sasuke I can also leave the table if you'd like so you can tell them the truth, that way you won't be breaking old man's word for Leaf Shinobi, he said nothing about Cloud Shinobi right, besides if you don't Raikage dude will just ask the old man" the blue eyed blonde piped in.

And Sasuke nodded, that signaled the third departure from the table leaving him alone with the Raikage and his escorts "Okay talk Kid what the hell is going on with you two" the younger skinned male demanded unlike himself.

"My clan's massacre, we inadvertently got mixed up in it, caught the killer in the act, he threw Sakura across the room, trapped me in a genjutsu that tortures the mind, while she watched, then she found out her best friend was dead it broke her, I'd never seen her cry before that day" Sasuke explained.

Putting his head in his hands and breathing deeply finally talking about the subject that they'd avoided like the plague for four straight years when everyone asked what had happened to them and it had been forbidden to talk about by the Hokage himself.

Clearly the Cloud Shinobi hadn't expected that as they grimaced "How is it you got mixed up in it in the first place and how old were you two when this happened" Ay questioned a lot more calmly wishing he hadn't asked in the first place.

Sasuke lowered his head even more "It was my fault actually, Sakura made the suggestion I spend the night, but my parents were strict, if I had listened to her when she said she had a bad feeling we wouldn't gone to the compound, we were also eight" the Uchiha continued.

Ay was horrified "And no one even noticed" Cee was as close to gaping as one could call it, as some of his questions were being answered and he wasn't even the one asking them, but he regretted pushing the issue.

"No, the murderer was my brother, he was different than any other Uchiha, gifted, the true heir of the clan, plus it was late evening, and the compound is isolated from the rest of the village" Sasuke sighed feeling exhausted.

While he was okay with talking about it, this didn't make him feel better, not like how it was when he and Sakura talked to Inoichi about things "So mental trauma that's why you go see a therapist" Darui asked very carefully.

"For PTSD as well, Sakura has it worse than me, if she smells blood all she can remember is that night, plus we have nightmares still and some flashbacks, her worse than me on that front again" the ebony haired preteen admitted.

And the Cloud Shinobi had no idea what to say anymore "I'm sorry for running off like that, I just needed some time to collect my thoughts" Sakura returned to the table in the next moment, looking weary, dry tear tracks on her cheeks.

They felt guilty for making the girl cry when she was letting them stay there "Must say Sakura, your panda ant colony is doing extremely well even after all this time, why because it's you" Shino piped in hoping to cheer her up by talking about her favorite hobby.

Just like that Sakura did perk up "Of course Shino-kun, you know I've actually been thinking about relocating them somewhere safe to free up some space in the habitat" the pinkette tapped her lip latching on to the new subject topic.

Cee, Darui and Ay just let it go listening to the genin brats chatter amongst themselves "Is it safe to come back" Naruto poked his head into the kitchen and was immediately waved over so that he could eat his cold food.

Hoping something like this wouldn't happen again "We'll have to mention it to my Father, I'm sure he wouldn't mind having the colony in our compound's forest, they'd be safer, less predators, or I could set up a habitat at my house for them" the Aburame heir mused.

"Got a question, how did you get into liking insects so much that you like to keep them as pets instead of regular pets like a cat or a dog or even a bird" the younger dark skinned male shuddered lightly wanting to figure out the Kid.

Emerald orbs flickered up to meet his ebony ones "Dunno it's been that way since I was really little like three or four from the time I could read, but Shisui and then meeting Shino and Shibi-sensei before academy started really got me into them" Sakura smiled.

Relaxing at the normal conversation "You use to be so secretive about that, then once we had that family visit to Shino's Compound, you just went wild" Sasuke teased, Sakura rolled her eyes and punched his arm lightly to his amusement.

"Weird as ever Sasuke, Sakura-chan but I'm glad your not crying anymore" the younger blonde at the table commented, having always hated it when Sakura had cried when they'd been younger and that was still the same no matter how many years went by.

Sakura smiled lightly enjoying the much calmer atmosphere of the kitchen, soon enough the food had been devoured and the kitchen was put back to rights then Shino bid his farewell by pulling Sakura into the foyer after him.

"Be by tomorrow, why because we're together now" Shino announced quietly strapping his sandals onto his feet, then when he was stood, he tugged down his coat collar and for the third time kissed Sakura.

Her cheeks were very warm by the time Shino pulled away smirking "Lay still my beating heart, see you tomorrow Shino-kun" the pinkette placed a hand over her heart waving goodbye to the boy she'd liked since forever as he walked out the door and she locked it behind him.

"Is there a reason your blushing" the onyx eyed blonde creased his brow in confusion when the girl practically floated into the living room, looking very happy for some reason and cheeks apple red it was very suspicious.

At that her face turned a darker red "Must have been some kiss huh Sakura-chan, probably nothing like the first one though….ack Teme help me" Naruto grinned mischievously only to have to start running when Sakura narrowed her eyes and began chasing him.

"You got yourself into that one Dope, so nope" Sasuke watched with a smirk on his lips and simply amused by the antics of his friends, Naruto scowled but ran for his life until inevitably he tripped over something and Sakura got her hands on him.

He was about to start protecting his face when Sakura merely jabbed his side with a finger he looked confused and relieved at the same time "When you find someone you really like Naruto, that will be grounds for teasing" Sakura huffed.

Plopping down at the low table until it was time for bed, that night it was peaceful with no intruders breaking in whatsoever and the morning after once breakfast had been finished a knock on the door came "Yo Sasuke ready for more training" Kakashi called.

This signaled Sasuke's departure "See you when I get back" the Uchiha waved marching off to sharingan training with determination, perhaps he'd even sneak to the compound and snag some books from the clan library.

Regardless of how Sakura felt he wasn't going to ask for permission and he certainly wasn't asking her to come along it was to soon "Can we train to Sakura-chan, I want to practice a few things that have interested me lately" the blue eyed blonde piped in.

Knowing there was no one better than Sakura other than his sensei of course who was good at explaining things "Oh yeah that's right, Sasuke left me the hand signs to teach you the shuriken shadow clone jutsu" the pinkette clapped in remembrance.

Naruto perked up and the two of them headed out back, Cee and Darui on their heels, keeping lookout for any sort of trouble and watching the genin train "First what are the hand signs so I can train with that" Naruto turned to face Sakura.

Who nodded seriously "Watch, ox, dog, dragon, rat, dog, boar, snake and tiger, Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu" Sakura called throwing five of her shuriken and flashing through a set of hand signs, increasing the amount of weapons sailing through the air to nearly forty shuriken.

"Very scary but my turn right" the blonde gulped, seeing how easy jutsu's came to Sakura, perhaps he should also get interested in learning his elemental nature to as he took his turn to practice the shuriken shadow clone jutsu.

Only to move on to using it in conjunction with his body flicker technique, it was hard to get the timing right but after thirty minutes he managed it "Good, now what else did you want to learn how to do Naruto" the rosette praised.

And the watching duo were slightly impressed with the kid's ingenious idea of incorporating fuinjutsu into his body flicker signature "Mm maybe my elemental nature so I can start practicing with that, also wire manipulation, I saw it in a book" Naruto ticked off his fingers.

"That's an idea, hang on" Sakura paused then started rifling around in all of her pouches searching for something, what he had didn't have a clue, but she came up empty handed, Sakura frowned and rushed inside.

Five minutes later she was back carrying a little slip of paper that she handed to Naruto "What do I do with it" the blonde looked very unimpressed since he didn't know what the paper was for in the least, proving he still had a long ways to go.

Sakura put a hand on her hip "Focus chakra into it knucklehead if it tears you have wind nature, burns fire nature, gets wet water nature, crinkles lightning nature or crumbles earth nature" the fuscia haired preteen instructed gently.

Knowing not to get to frustrated at his lack of paying attention in class "Okay" Naruto sulked, doing as told and focusing chakra into the slip of paper, where it promptly tore in half indicating wind nature chakra.

"Well that's a pretty rare nature to have, but I happen to know a couple of people who has wind nature, Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei to I think if I'm not mistaken, for wire manipulation you channel your chakra into the wire" Sakura nodded still explaining things.

In the simplest way possible "You mean like this Sakura-chan" the blonde asked taking some wire from his pouch then channeled his chakra into it, immediately it started of course and Sakura body flickered deftly out of the way "Sorry" he smiled sheepishly.

"No worries Naruto, now was there anything else you wished to learn" the pinkette said patiently, Naruto nodded eagerly going into a rant about all the things he wanted to learn how to do while Sakura stood there patiently explaining everything to him in great detail so he could understand.

Until Naruto was sufficiently exhausted "Why do you indulge him like that, surely you don't want to spend the rest of your life helping him" Cee questioned with a frown in the ensuing silence while the younger blonde was meditating on Sakura's suggestion because she knew it would help.

Her head snapped in his direction "Because Naruto deserves to be treated kindly after the hell he's been though and like what was said yesterday he's family that's all there is to it" Sakura shrugged not seeing helping Naruto as a burden, in fact he needed all the help he could get.

Just then the backdoor flew open "Meditate with me Sakura, then I want you to show me how to incorporate those black crow feathers into the body flicker technique" Sasuke scowled looking pretty beat up.

"The hell happened to you Kid" Darui gaped utterly horrified at the boy's appearance, while Sakura sat at his side, hands glowing green to heal Sasuke of his injuries, Sasuke's expression soured and it took everything in her not to laugh.

Somehow though he knew she was laughing inwardly and the sulking expression appeared on his face instead "Shut up and Kakashi that's what happened, he's a f'ing sadist I swear, summoning ninja hounds on me during our training" his eye twitched madly in irritation.

That did it, now she was outright laughing at him "Can't say I don't agree with you there Sasuke-teme" Naruto sniggered cracking open an eye to peer at his friend, while the other was rolling around on the ground laughing like a hyena.

"Patience Sasuke, he's trying to help you control your sharingan remember, Kakashi-sensei must have thought his summons would help" the pinkette tsked wagging her finger in his face after she got over her laughing fit.

Sasuke was right back to scowling "I know but I still say he enjoyed watching me run for my life a little to much" the ebony haired preteen huffed before calming down and slipping into a meditative trance.

"Just be lucky he's actually taking your training seriously, when Hinata-chan, Kiba and I first met him he was hours late and for every single D Rank Mission or training session he was late to them to" the blue eyed blonde snorted.

While Sakura was simply amused and soon enough Sasuke was ready to incorporate his signature into the body flicker technique, popping around the backyard once he had it down in a flurry of black crow feathers.

Until the three of them called it quits on training to head back inside for some downtime, reading, practicing fuinjutsu or studying hardcore equations in Sakura's case "Don't tell me you brats have done nothing the entire day" Ay frowned when he returned to the civilian house he was staying in.

Right around the same time Shino showed up "No we did go out and train Raikage-sama" Sakura admitted beaming at Shino when the bug user sat beside her like he had the night before by then she was all to happy to abandon her advanced equations to chat with him.

As his two escorts nodded "Oh and what did you train in Sakura, why because it makes sense to keep improving even while on break" Shino piped in curious, he knew that he'd gotten better at some things to, but he didn't know what his teammates had improved on while they'd been gone.

"Lots of things, she taught us the body flicker technique, Sasuke-teme learned the mystical palm, I tried but don't have the aptitude, we've been working on our fuinjutsu, I also learned what my elemental nature is and now I can manipulate a wire with chakra" Naruto ticked off his fingers.

"I also awakened my sharingan and I'm interested in learning the chakra scalpel, probably delve into learning how to craft poisons as well, just a few things I'm considering, Sakura is totally badass with her summons though" Sasuke continued.

Shino looked shocked because he certainly hadn't thought they'd make such a huge leap in only a month though he really shouldn't, he sighed "Suppose the only thing to do is to find things that interest me and improve upon them as well, why because I don't wish to be left behind" the brunet heir shook his head in exasperation.

With a grin Sakura moved the lot of them to the kitchen to make dinner "Out of flour how can we be out of flour" the pinkette frowned when she reached for the cabinet and found the bag missing, it had been half full at lunch so where had it gone.

"It's over there Sakura, you must have forgot to put it back after lunch" the ebony haired preteen pointed at the counter and Sakura flashed him a bright smile as she snagged the bag and got started on dinner.

By pounding out some chicken breasts "You know it occurs to me that neither of you ever help her cook, merely watch, isn't family suppose to help each other" the onyx eyed blonde commented unable to say something.

The two boys that were residents of the house jolted "That's cause Sakura-chan practiced for years learning how to cook, we suck at it believe it" the blue eyed blonde at the table admitted sheepishly, though he had thought about helping before.

He realized that he might only get in the way and so didn't ask anyway "Still you two could practice and learn just like she did" the younger dark skinned male pointed out carefully not trying to order them around, just point out a fact.

And they both nodded in understanding, chances were the lone girl would still be the one doing all the cooking by the time they left at least that's the way he felt, Shino pressed his lips together, then stood "Would you like help, why because we're together" the brunet heir asked.

Sakura's eyes literally sparkled with happiness as she adjusted things around to let Shino help "So the boyfriend is the only one with some manners" the Raikage snorted, soon enough a delicious looking plate of food was set before them along with a glass of green tea.

Then they all dug in after giving their thanks for the food, chatting about this and that until it was time for Shino to leave, it was then that something happened, he opened the door and let out a shout leaping back when a kunai was thrust at him.

Everyone in the house was right there in less than a second "Who the hell are you and what do you want" Ay glowered furiously covering the genin brats with Darui and Cee stood behind them for some extra protection, the man was silent for a few seconds.

"My master said that should anything ever happen to him that our job was to kill the jinchuuriki of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, move so that I can accomplish my job" the unknown man ordered and lunged.

Passing through the doorway with great skill, not without a lot of pain though as a lightning jutsu struck him and he dropped, Ay pushed the brats back unsure of who the tailed beast host was "Brat summon your spider have him tied up, other brat go get someone from that T&I" the Raikage barked.

"Ninja Art: Red Legged Spider Summoning Jutsu, Mibojin-sama tie him up in your web" Sakura ordered of her summons when he poofed into existence before her, he didn't even ask what was going on merely did as commanded.

Until the unknown man was completely covered in webbing that felt like steel bars "What's a jinchuuriki" Naruto had to ask like a naive little idiot and Sakura grit her teeth, understanding what Mizuki-sensei had meant by what he'd said.

It seemed Sasuke was beginning to understand as well because his skin went pale "Mean's living sacrifice to seal away one of the nine tailed chakra beasts in the world, so which one of you is it" Cee looked the genin over trying to determine if he could figure it out that way.

No such luck "Naruto your the jinchuuriki I think, on that day Mizuki tricked you, he said that you had a beast inside of you, that's why people were so cruel to you" Sasuke was the one to say it and Naruto shook his head in denial.

"Can't be no I won't believe it, how could I have something like that in me, why didn't anyone say anything then do people enjoy making me suffer for some reason" the blonde wanted to deny it with every fiber of his being as tears made their appearance in his eyes.

Sasuke grimaced and took off out the door as fast as he could go, body flickering the rest of the way when he felt it was safe enough to do so "Kid calm down, perhaps there's a reason no one told you" Darui frowned eyeing the lone girl.

Who looked angry on her friends behalf, the blonde kid was practically a brother to her after all "But why would people be cruel to him when he's never been anyone but Naruto" Shino frowned in confusion.

And Sakura shook her head "Don't know Shino, but what I do know for certain is that if not for Naruto this village probably wouldn't be standing, anyone who says otherwise I'll bash their faces in with my fist" the rosette pounded her fist into her hand to prove that she was serious.

That was all it took as the tears rolled down his face and she couldn't help but reach out and pull Naruto into a bone crushing hug, then he was full on sobbing, to know that people did care for him that much was probably a relief to the boy.

"Forget what that Uchiha boy said, Hiruzen's the sadist if he couldn't even tell the boy the truth about himself" Ay growled irritated with how the night was turning out so far, Cee and Darui nodded in agreement with his statement.

Keeping watch until Sasuke came back with the Head of T&I himself "Seems the bastard broke the Thirds Law of Secrecy, great just what we need an overly emotional jinchuuriki loose on the village" the tall Anbu Commander let out an irritated sigh.

Sasuke didn't even stop her when Sakura swung around "Even if you are part of this village, if you ever say anything bad about Naruto again I will kick your ass, Naruto is Naruto, screw the thing sealed inside of him, it's not NARUTO" Sakura snapped furiously.

"I agree if Naruto really does have something like that sealed in him, it has never been and never will be Naruto himself, he just houses it, their separate entities as far as I'm concerned, why because Naruto is family to us" the Aburame Heir commented.

If the man that had come from T&I was surprised he didn't show it, merely hefted the unknown person over his shoulder and vanished in a plume of smoke "Yikes you two are scary" the ebony haired preteen shuddered.

Naruto nodding his head in agreement "Guess they make a good pair" the younger dark skinned male chuckled under his breath seeing how the duo worked together first hand, they were close, they didn't argue with one another and gave each other strength if the other needed it.

And they were both equally protective over Naruto, "Agreed 5,000 ryo they end up getting married in the future" the onyx eyed blonde bet with a smirk holding out his hand for Darui to shake, the man narrowed his eyes but shook on it.

Eventually Shino did leave and Naruto did calm down so that the lot of them could go to bed after cleaning up for themselves, though falling asleep wasn't easy, they did manage to get some rest that night with all that was going through their head.

Two weeks later the Raikage, Darui and Cee were leaving "Expect to see some of my shinobi around brats, take good care of them if you do" Ay snorted, knowing that if any of his shinobi were having trouble the pink haired brat would help them.

It was what he'd come to expect after almost two weeks of living with the girl "Roger that Raikage-sama, have a safe trip back to your village, you to, Darui-san, Cee-san" Sakura smiled brightly as she saw them off, the only one to.

Because Sasuke had been kidnapped for training and Naruto had went along to learn some wind jutsu's under Kakashi's instructions "Just take care of yourself alright Kid" Darui sighed wishing they weren't leaving right yet.

But they had to get home eventually, Sakura nodded seriously "And don't ever lose what you have with Shino-san, he completes you" Cee teased and her face lit up in a fiery blush with that they were signed out and headed down the path.

A couple minutes later they passed by an odd couple and they heard Sakura's voice ring out, so they paused to watch as she came running out the gates "Mom, Dad welcome home" the pinkette lunged at the couple they'd passed, apparently they were her parents.

"What did you miss your old man Sakura-chan" the pink haired male laughed boisterously only to whine as his wife slapped him upside the head "See that Sakura-chan, your mother is so mean to me" the man sniffled looking ridiculous.

The woman scoffed "Please Kizashi if Sakura-chan has missed anyone it's me right, right" the emerald eyed blonde shoved her husband out of the way to take her daughter in her arms for a bone crushing hug.

Unaware of the Cloud Shinobi watching them "I missed you both equally Mom, Dad" Sakura grinned not taking either of her parents sides and hugging them together in the next moment, spying the trio of Cloud Shinobi over her fathers shoulder.

In the next moment the three Haruno's were gone "No wonder that kid is so straight laced with parents like that I can see it now" the Raikage snorted turning on his heel and marching off down the path again intent on getting home, his two bodyguards nodded.

~Later on~

When it was late in the evening after dinner had been eaten and the five of them were settled in the living room, Shino having stayed away for the night Mebuki and Kizashi shared a look with each other glad to be home and remembering what they'd promised.

Cleared their throats "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun there's something we wish to ask you, we understand if you refuse though" Mebuki started hoping that at least one of them felt comfortable with the idea.

"Mrs Haruno what do you want to ask us" Naruto popped up from his slumped position looking at the older couple with curiosity in his blue eyes, the last time he'd heard that particular line was when he'd first started living in the house.

Were they about to ask that again "Well you see, we were wondering if either of you were comfortable with the idea of us adopting you both, we won't ask you to change your last names of course, but then we'd really be family" Kizashi announced.

Blue eyes widened apparently they were going to ask and Naruto shot a look to the other orphan as he'd learned to see his reaction, his gaze was guarded by his long bangs "Do you mean that" Sasuke asked mature enough to understand that this was the best he was ever going to get.

"Of course they do Sasuke" Sakura nodded seriously knowing how her parents felt, they cared for both the boys as much as she did, Naruto and Sasuke deserved to know what it was like to have a true family there for them despite the odds against them.

Naruto bit his lip waiting for Sasuke to make his decision before coming to a decision for himself "Then I accept, because truthfully I've already begun to see you as a second set of parents" the ebony haired preteen admitted looking up finally.

And the older Haruno's understood "What say you Naruto-kun" then the pink haired male switched his attention onto the younger blonde in the room, hoping that his answer would be just as affirmative as Sasuke's had been.

"I…I think I'd like that to you know" the Uzumaki boy said in the shyest tone of voice ever, deciding how the rest of his life would be in this single defining moment, to have parents had been one of his dreams and now he was finally getting that.

Mebuki sat back "Then tomorrow we'll go to see Hokage-sama and ask for the paperwork to adopt you into the family while keeping your last names" the emerald eyed blonde stated relieved they'd accepted their offer.

Sakura grinned though and wrapped her arms around both Naruto and Sasuke giving them bone crushing side hugs "Welcome to the family Naruto, Sasuke, it's going to be an absolute blast" the pinkette snickered before they split up to go to bed.

And the next day the five of them traipsed to the Hokage Tower, got the paperwork necessary and in a matter of hours, Naruto and Sasuke were officially Sakura's adopted siblings, then it was back to training and missions with their teams after two solid weeks.


	19. Chunin Selection Exams Begin

Glad to be back to the normal grind of D Rank Missions and training, Sasuke and Sakura immersed themselves into improving their skills "I think I've finally figured out that which I would like to learn, why because I want to improve as well" Shino commented.

After one such training session that left them breathless, how he was able to remain so unaffected baffled the both of them "Yeah Shino-kun what is it, then we can get you what you need and help you learn it" Sakura grinned up at him from her spot on the ground.

It had only been a couple of days so far, and they still had yet to talk to her parents, Shibi already knew of course, about their decision to date, not that it got in the way of course, but still she didn't like hiding things from her Mom and Dad.

"Only fair cause we helped the Dope for a month and a half" Sasuke shrugged not to put out, he still had a long ways to go on his own goals, though today would finally be the day he asked Shibi to sign that letter of recommendation for him.

Not wanting to put it off any longer "Consider yourselves dismissed for the day" Shibi shook his head amused at the antics of his students/son, maybe he should talk to Sakura's parents himself and arrange a betrothal contract between the children.

That way the elders couldn't interfere with their relationship "Ah wait sensei, could you sign this, I wish to learn under a medic like Sakura" the Uchiha on the team ran up to him, holding out a familiar paper and sporting a very determined expression.

While Sakura and Shino stood waiting, Shibi stared for a couple of seconds making sure the boy wasn't about to regret his strange decision "Very well, I expect to see results by the end of the week" the Aburame Patriarch signed it.

Sasuke looked relieved "Come on then, we should drop that by the hospital, talk to the Head Medic himself" the pinkette on the team smiled bright, waving to Shibi who disappeared in a swirl of kikaichu in the next moment.

Leaving them alone "Barrier jutsu, since you two are the heavy hitters on the team, my taijutsu is weak compared to both of yours, why because I'm better at defense than offense" the brunet heir explained what he wished to learn.

"Easy I think there's some books at the house on barrier seals, we can sit down after we talk to my parents and practice that" Sakura wrapped her arm around Shino's as they walked leisurely down the streets to the hospital.

A moment later they were stood in the lobby and there was that absolutely awful receptionist "Great, any chance you can sneak by and get the Head Medic, cause I don't want to deal with that woman" Sasuke glared.

Certainly not wanting to be accused of forging any signatures again, and things would be worse now that he'd actually awakened his Sharingan, Sakura nodded then zipped off to find the Head Medic leaving them waiting in the lobby.

Besides she had to get her schedule so this was official business to "How long do you suppose it will take, why because that woman is sneering at you" Shino whispered, eyeing the receptionist who was point blank being rude to his teammate.

Just as the receptionist was standing Sakura and the Head Medic returned, the woman promptly sat down pasting on a kind and friendly smile "Okay which one of you is the one that would like to learn under a medic" the Head Medic stopped before them.

Sakura just a couple seconds behind her clutching a sheet of paper to her chest "That would be me Sir, I've already got the necessary control and Sakura did teach me some enough that I can at least sync my chakra up to a fish's chakra network and heal minor wounds" the Uchiha straightened.

Holding out the letter of recommendation stating that he had permission to learn under a medic signed by a Jonin ranked shinobi "Interesting, very well Sasuke-san, the hospital will have you" the Head Medic nodded taking the letter.

While he let out a huge sigh of relief to his amusement "Let's go" the Aburame Heir shook his head holding out his arm for Sakura to take again, it was nice having her so close, especially now that they were together.

"See you tomorrow Ittei-san" the pinkette waved earning a small smile as he turned, before she shot a glare at the receptionist, who was sneering at Sasuke behind her bosses back, then they were headed to the Haruno House.

Thankfully her parents were home and not at their stall "My Shino-kun what a surprise, what's the occasion that brings you over tonight" Mebuki gasped at their unexpected guest, though was very happy to see the boy who had been one of her daughters best friends.

Kizashi however honed in on how close the two preteen's were standing to each other "Dad, Mom, Shino-kun confessed and asked if we could try being in a relationship" Sakura announced truthfully glad to finally get it off her chest.

"And does Shino-kun make you happy Sakura-chan" Kizashi narrowed his dark blue eyes on the boy who had set his sights on his daughter, not happy in the least about the development between them but Mebuki wouldn't let him do anything to sabotage the relationship.

She nodded her head eagerly "I swear on my life to do right by Sakura, why because if I didn't she'd probably beat me into a bloody pulp, so if we could please have your permission, I'd like it so I can plan our first date" Shino straightened looking very serious.

Mebuki and Kizashi blinked not having expected that "You mean you two haven't been out on a date yet" the emerald eyed blonde woman frowned in confusion, what on earth had gone on while she and Kizashi had been gone on their sales trip.

"Nu-uh they decided to wait until you two got back so they could ask for proper permission" Naruto piped in from his spot at the low living room table, immersing himself in fuinjutsu practice, trying to think up some new idea's to incorporate into his skill arsenal.

"All be a boy with manners, very well Shino-kun you can date our Sakura-chan, just be warned you ever hurt her there will be hell to pay" the pink haired male warned, knowing that Shino would never do anything to harm his daughter because he cared for her a great deal.

Both Shino and Sakura shared a small smile with each other before sitting down, while Sasuke scurried off to collect the books needed so he could learn barrier seals "So long as you don't mind I join you for dinner some nights, thank you" the Aburame Heir nodded in relief.

"Are you gonna learn fuinjutsu to Shino" the blue eyed blonde at the table questioned when a few books, chakra ink, blank tags or scrolls and a brush were set before the bug user, Shino gave him a small nod and flipped over the first book.

Naruto shrugged and focused on his own practices "Barrier jutsu actually, Shino figured out that he was better at defense than offense" Sasuke added, reading a book on the chakra scalpel, he would have to practice it eventually and learn how to craft poisons.

"Perhaps we could go out after dinner and practice for a little bit" the ebony haired preteen even suggested, wanting to stop putting things off, the chakra scalpel would wait for no one after all, nor would learning how to craft poisons.

With that the living was enveloped in silence with the occasional flipping of pages or notes being scratched down on spare paper, not that it was very long until Mebuki stood and hurried into the kitchen to cook dinner for the lot of them.

"Dinners ready come eat while the food is hot" Mebuki called when it was done and she finished setting the table, making her own plate first, sitting down at the table while at least three of the males scrambled up from their places.

Like usual though Sakura was the first one in the kitchen "Cheater" Kizashi huffed amused but put out because now he knew what his daughter did to get ahead of them all the time, she merely stuck her tongue out as she sat at the table with her mother.

Plate already made up with an extra placed next to her "For you Shino-kun" Sakura smiled sweetly relieved that her parents had given them permission to date otherwise she didn't know what she would have done.

They most likely would have wait until they were older if her parents had refused but she was glad they were so laid back "Thank you, why because I would have done the same for you if the situation had been reversed" Shino admitted.

Cheeks lightly flushed at the gesture "Blah you guys are so lovey-dovey" Naruto snorted teasing the couple, though he was just a tiny bit disturbed at how easy being in a relationship came to the two of them and the suggestion that had been made two weeks ago popped into his head.

He just didn't know how to bring it up "Now, now Naruto, you know how Sakura is after all, and Shino as well" Sasuke shook his head in amusement the last to make his plate and sit down at the table with the others.

Shino proved to have the same amount of manners that Sakura did as he waited for the older Haruno's to take the first bite before digging in, his eyes widened behind his sunglasses "Figured it out didn't you, where Sakura-chan's talent for cooking came from" the pink haired male guessed.

Seeing the shock on the boys face "Yes indeed I have, why because I've tasted her food and it's nearly as good as this" the Aburame heir explained, flushing in embarrassment to Sakura's amusement as she giggled lightly.

"Well now you know Shino-kun, Mom's the one who's been teaching me all these years after all" the pinkette grinned, being careful to swallow her food first before talking so she didn't get smacked upside the head by her mother.

Naruto bit his lip "Er um Sakura-chan and Sasuke said that Ino's Old man thought it would be a good idea for me to have a therapy session, been thinking on it and I thought it might be a good idea to, so how do you set up a session for one" the blonde blurted out.

"It's easy Naruto-kun, tomorrow we'll go, just you and I to set up an appointment okay" the emerald eyed blonde said, overjoyed that the boy was finally coming round to accepting that he had issues that needed to be talked out.

Relieved no one was making fun of him he delved back into eating his dinner and chatting about this or that with a few of the people that saw him as family "Okay time to train" the ebony haired preteen announced when all the food had been demolished and the dishes had been done up.

Just like that the four genin headed out back to fiddle around with idea's they had to improve and increase their skill arsenal "Hey Sakura-chan what do you think of this, exploding clones, except instead of the standard explosion tag, it's full of weapons" Naruto called.

Twisting his hand to finish off the fused storage/explosion seal that he'd come up with "Very nice Naruto, don't practice it in the backyard though, those two are liable to get mad" Sakura warned and he gulped but nodded in understanding.

"Barrier seals are not easy, why because you have to adjust the formula in a certain way to have them work" Shino sighed when on his fourth attempt he couldn't even make a basic sealing barrier, until Sakura wandered over to him.

Looked at the tags he'd wrote the formula out on, made a couple of adjustments then had him try it again, this time a small barrier went up, not enough to cover a person sure but it was definitely a start and he could only get better with time and lots of practice.

That's what made fuinjutsu so hard he guessed if he didn't get the formula right nothing would work "The chakra scalpel is difficult for a beginner" Sasuke complained when it was time to head in for the night and stop training.

Sakura nodded following Shino to the foyer where they bid each other goodnight with a light kiss, then he was out the door heading home to his clan's compound "Have sweet dreams you three" Mebuki called as the children went up to take their showers or baths.

In return she got the standard goodnight from the three genin "And have a very good night" Kizashi yelled boisterously making Sakura laugh from her room as the five of them settled down in their beds for some shut eye.

By the end of the week, Sasuke could produce a two inch chakra scalpel as his control improved and Shino he could make a big enough barrier to cover one person, while Sakura had thrown herself into studying medicinal plants and the like to take her medical license test at long last.

Shibi was proud of his students and he knew he wasn't making a mistake "Well done I see each of you have improved over the time we've been a team, that's why I nominated you for the Chunin Selection Exams which is in two weeks time" Shibi announced.

Pulling the forms from his pouch and handing them over to his students "Do you really think we're ready sensei" the lone Uchiha asked, staring hard at the form that he would have to sign if he wanted to be a part of the Chunin Exams and become a Chunin.

Not surprised the boy would be slightly reluctant due to all that had happened to them, Shibi nodded "Yes of course I do, you three are strong together, nothing will stand in your way during these exams" the Aburame Patriarch stated in a sure fire tone.

He wouldn't allow for them to second guess themselves or doubt their hard-earned skills that they'd honed tirelessly for years and over the few months they'd been Team Seven "Is it true that we have to enter as a team or else we won't be allowed to participate" the pinkette questioned.

Proving to be just as smart as usual while Sasuke looked horrified especially when their sensei nodded again, dismissing them to consider their options and make a decision on whether or not they wanted to participate in the Chunin Exams like many others were going to do no doubt.

"This mean's we have to continue training and make plenty of preparations if we do sign up for it" the brunet heir pointed out as they sat on the ground, thinking long and hard about what their decision would be regarding the exams.

Utter silence enveloped them for several long agonizing moments "We should do it, my pride as one of the last Uchiha's is on the line, many will probably be disappointed if I'm not in the exams" Sasuke blew out a breath.

"Yeah but we're rookies, many will probably laugh at us and that irks me somehow, we'll just have to really kick it into high gear these next couple of weeks" Sakura huffed there was no point in arguing since it seemed Sasuke had made up his mind.

Then they looked to their last remaining teammate to see what his decision would be "Very well, why because it's all in with us" Shino relented to their stares, not that he would back down from a challenge, he had to prove to the elders that being with Sakura didn't change him.

In fact being with her had made him stronger, they didn't go straight home that evening, instead stayed on their teams training grounds to continue training for a couple of extra hours "That was totally badass Shino" the Uchiha on the team panted, low on chakra and exhausted.

As he ran into a glowing violet colored barrier wall "Agreed maybe you should call it the Three Point Violet Sealing Barrier" the rosette on the team clapped as she came up with a really wicked cool name for the sealing barrier in progress.

Shino wiped sweat from his face breathing hard, very tired and hungry, but pleased at managing that much in a couple of extra hours "Perhaps I will why because the name is apt for it" the Aburame Heir said, collecting the laid out scrolls that had his barriers formula written on them.

He still couldn't cover two people quite yet in it, but they still had two weeks left to train so they would feel ready enough for the Chunin Exams "Figured you three might still be here, those two were getting worried" Naruto body flickered onto their training grounds in the next moment.

Looking unamused at their antics having really calmed down since that first therapy session with Inoichi a couple days ago "Sorry Naruto something came up that we needed to continue training for" Sakura apologized with a grimace.

"Must be talking about the Chunin Exams huh Sakura-chan, yeah Kakashi-sensei said he nominated us for them to when he dismissed us today" the blonde plopped down quick on the uptake for once.

It was amazing how much could change in a single therapy session for a person "Don't worry Dope we were just about to come home" Sasuke admitted looking as if he'd been run ragged by Kakashi again even if that wasn't true.

"Kakashi-sensei didn't get you with his ninja hounds again did he Sasuke-teme" Naruto teased leaping to his feet prepared to run, Sasuke merely gave him a half-assed glare and grunted, flipping him off at the same time.

Making Sakura laugh "Training tomorrow right" Shino guessed when the four of them stood, both of his teammates nodded and they body flickered home, like Naruto had said the older Haruno's had been worried.

So the minute they stepped foot in the house Mebuki was right there, "That is for worrying me to death when you didn't come home straight away or at least inform me of what you two were doing" Mebuki huffed.

Whacking two of the preteens over the head with a slipper, Naruto covered his mouth to keep himself from laughing "Just warn us next time you decide to extend your training sessions alright" Kizashi pointed out also fighting down his laughter.

At their dazed and wary looks "Understood Mom, next time I'll send Shiruki to inform you of any decisions we make that have us staying out any extra time" the pinkette eagerly nodded her head not wanting to get whacked by the bloody slipper ever again.

That sucker had hurt actually "Good at least you two understand" the blonde woman huffed yet again, tossing down the slipper to be with it's partner and Sasuke hastily put them away in the cubby while they took off their own sandals.

"Ouch that looked like it hurt" the blue eyed blonde sniggered having enjoyed the moment for however long it had lasted, Sasuke gave yet another half-assed glare as they moved through the living room to the kitchen where their cold dinners waited.

"Quiet Dope or next time you'll be the one getting whacked with a freaking slipper" the raven haired preteen scowled snagging a plate to warm it up in the microwave then flopped down at the table to eat.

Sakura smothered her laughter with her hand "Let that be a lesson in why you don't seriously peeve off a mother" the pink haired male that was her father laughed boisterously, only to get whacked with the spoon her mother carried around and start sulking.

Until their belated dinner had been eaten and the dishes had been done up, then Sasuke and Sakura headed up to shower or bath and then head to bed because they had to go into the hospital early for training while Naruto sat down with the older Haruno's for a couple hours longer before doing the same.

~The Next Day~

After breakfast the three of them split up "Ugh today is going to be like hell on earth" Sasuke groaned realizing how much training was going to be taking up their days, he was also pretty certain that Shibi was going to abandon them to continue making preparations for the exams.

"Probably Sasuke, but it's our decision to participate remember" Sakura reminded lightly folding her hands neatly behind her back as they walked to the hospital together and enjoying the crisp morning air in all it's freshness.

Immediately upon arriving at their destination the two of them found the hospital wrought with chaos "HARUNO WITH ME NOW" Ittei barked upon spotting one of the talented newbies, without a sound the girl body flickered to his side, leaving Sasuke to find his trainer on his own.

"What's the situation Ittei-sama" the rosette inquired seriously, not about to take that kind of chaos lightly it seemed and he was glad that this was one of the mornings she was there to help out, even if he would be kind of throwing her in the middle of the chaos.

"To be honest we need your chakra control most of the medics can't do what you can, and a team was brought in but we don't have the delicate control to remove the poison from their system to create an antidote" the purple haired man explained.

He knew it wasn't right thrusting her head first into a surgery like that and he did feel a little guilty but most of the medics in the hospital were way to incompetent for that kind of delicacy "Right I'll do what I can Ittei-sama" Sakura saluted looking worried.

No doubt she was scared that even her chakra control wouldn't be enough to save people's lives "Just do your best alright Haruno and think of this as a learning experience" Ittei pointed out, Sakura nodded again and then they were in the emergency room.

Four people laid out on gurneys and medics swarming around them, Sakura took a deep breath and became determined at the sight before her "Are you sure about this Ittei-sama, she's a kid" one medic asked fearfully.

Eyeing the young girl, who rolled up her sleeves and marched over to the first person in need of help, talking to a medic as she went for instructions on what she needed to actually do until a bucket was placed at her side.

"It's easy, fuse your chakra with the contents inside, focus it over their chests and draw the poison out with chakra" the medic informed, she took another deep breath then did as told, proving to be the only one they could really rely on in the next moment.

As the contents followed her hand up out of the bucket and she placed it deftly over the injured person before her, concentrating as sweat beaded on her brow at the amount of pressure placed on her "Yes I'm very sure, Haruno-san is the only one who can do this" the purple haired man said.

Watching in case things went south on them it would probably be to much to ask for all of them to be saved but at least it would be like he said a learning experience for the girl who wished to become a medic like Lady Tsunade.

The next two hours proved to be very eventful as Sakura carefully extracted enough poison out of each shinobi to be taken away and deconstructed to find or make an antidote "Good work Sakura-san" another medic praised.

Moving on to the healing process now that most of the poison had been removed from their systems and no longer interfering with their attempts to save lives, Sakura gave a shaky smile, drained of chakra "Come on looks like you could use something to eat" Ittei chuckled.

Leaving the rest to the other medics at the hospital and leading the girl away from the operation room "Definitely Ittei-sama" Sakura announced, knowing she would need it, especially since she had training with her team to do later.

With that Ittei ushered her to the cafeteria and ordered some dango covered in mitarashi sauce, a bowl of chicken ramen, with lots of vegetables at her request, sweet potato rice and curry and a glass of green tea before he left her to eat.

"The hell happened to you Sakura" twenty minutes later Sasuke plopped down on the opposite bench with a tray of food as she was finishing up her own to replenish some of his chakra without meditating like he wanted.

Sakura blew out a long suffering sigh "Got thrown in at the deep end that's what happened, had to help out with removing poison from a team that was brought in so they could make an antidote" the pinkette explained what the ruckus had been all about when they'd showed up.

Sasuke grimaced "Yikes I'm glad that it wasn't me that got dragged into it, I probably would have screwed up" the raven shuddered not that he was glad that Sakura had been forced into that situation and he hoped the Head Medic felt guilty about it.

"Never know Sasuke, this past week your chakra control has really improved to way above standard, by the time its time for the Chunin Exams, you'll most likely be able to do that on a small scale" Sakura commented.

Praising him in the only way she knew how, his cheeks warmed and flushed lightly "Thanks Sakura, good luck on your studying" Sasuke waved cramming the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and dropping off the tray on his way back to his senpai at the hospital.

And she did the same only she got drilled with question after question while at the same time being made to demonstrate a lot of stuff, bruises, scrapes, burns, sprained ankles, head trauma, eye problems, pulled muscles, broken bones and the like.

Until it was lunch time only then were they released "I'm so, so glad that tomorrow we don't have to come in" the Uchiha held his head feeling utterly exhausted and it was only afternoon, Sakura didn't look any better as they stopped at the ramen stand Ichiraku.

"Just be lucky you don't have to go through the hell of demonstrating and answering medical questions at the same time" the pinkette grumbled clearly in no mood to play nice before Teuchi placed down her order of chicken ramen.

She flashed him a thankful smile and dug in with vigor, Sasuke copying her actions a minute later with his own order, they ordered three more bowls of ramen each after that until they were to full to eat another bite and feeling much better as seventy percent of their chakra came back.

Enough for them to train a couple hours as they paid for their meal and left the ramen stand, heading for their team training grounds "Did you eat before coming, why because you smell like ramen" Shino greeted in his bizarre way.

While they both nodded "Rather difficult morning at the hospital Shino-kun, at the very least I know how to remove poison now just enough to make an antidote anyway" Sakura smiled brightly wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss on the cheek.

"You know I've been wondering what it feels like to be tied up in Mibojin's web" Sasuke piped in when the duo pulled apart clearly ready to start training, even if they were on their own since their sensei was going to abandon them for the next couple of weeks.

Sakura blinked at him in surprise, then bit her thumb and ran through the hand signs to summon the leader of her summons "Can you tie Sasuke up in your webbing, hands and feet only Mibojin-sama please" the rosette requested of her summons.

It took less than a minute for Sasuke's hands and feet to be bound in webbing "Holy crap this stuff is like steel seriously I'm not kidding" the Uchiha grunted straining to break the web with brute strength only to fail.

"Maybe you would have better results if you were to use your chakra scalpel" the Aburame Heir suggested watching on with curiosity, Sasuke thought the idea over before trying it, focusing chakra into his fingertips no longer needing the hand signs.

Then wiggled his hands around enough to hopefully slice through the steel webbing, thankfully it only felt like steel as the chakra scalpel sliced through and he was able to break free of his bindings "Next time I make a stupid suggestion like that hit me" Sasuke grumbled.

Patting down his clothes as he stood on his feet again after several minutes of struggling, Sakura covered her mouth to hide the smile she was sporting "At least you learned something Sasuke, why because now you know that with the chakra scalpel you can break free" Shino pointed out.

And Sasuke realized the truth in that statement, if he hadn't wondered he would have never known so maybe the idea hadn't so stupid after all "Okay you two lets get to training, stamina and evasion first" Sakura clapped.

Getting their training session officially underway, first working on their stamina by running laps while wearing fifteen pound weights on each arm and leg, then evasion training by avoiding all manners of traps that Shino had set up beforehand while still wearing the weights.

By the time that training was done their arms and legs screamed for mercy not to mention they were covered in countless amounts of scratches from where they'd been hit by weapons repeatedly "Totally sucks but taijutsu next" the raven on the team suggested.

Removing the heavy ass weights that Shibi had upgraded them to and healing his light superficial wounds, leaving the deeper scratches to Sakura as she healed the three of them, they settled in a loose circle on the water's surface for their taijutsu spar.

They didn't hold back in the least against each other, there was no such thing as pulling punches or kicks, it was Sasuke and Sakura's way of helping Shino improve his taijutsu so that someday he could pull off an offensive attack that would leave an enemy shocked.

It was a battle for sure and they even lost focus over their chakra a couple of times falling into the cold lake they were sparring atop of until they couldn't go on, instead of scratches they now had bruises "Ow I think you were channeling chakra into your punches" Sasuke huffed.

Gently poking a dark green bruise only to wince "Sorry Sasuke" Sakura flashed him an apologetic frown, raising a glowing green hand, a little brighter now that she was working with her medical ninjutsu on a daily basis again.

"Perhaps we can use this time to work on my barrier formula, why because I want to at least be able to cover two people with it before the exams" Shino announced placing down blank tags and the scrolls that had the formula for his barrier on them.

Having a break sounded great right about then as they immersed themselves in the world of fuinjutsu unaware of the Jonin spying on them, Shibi chuckled under his breath and shook his head in amusement at their antics, pleased they were taking the exams seriously.

Before he vanished in a swirl of kikaichu, having completed his self assigned goal to keep an eye on his students every once in awhile to make sure they weren't getting in any trouble, he cared for them deeply after all.

~Meanwhile~

Back on their training field "How about this Shino-kun, each of us holds onto a scroll, merging our chakra with the formula on the scroll we hold" the pinkette piped in with an idea that might just work, her chakra control was near perfect after all.

Shino nodded seriously "Let's give it a try then, back to back with each other, then we'll lay down the scrolls" the Uchiha instructed, also having a slight interest in barrier seals as they stood back to back with one another.

In sync they placed down the scrolls and opened them "Right Three Point Violet Sealing Barrier Jutsu" the Aburame Heir ran through some hand signs remembering to take his time so he didn't mess up again.

His teammates doing the same for the other scrolls and then in a flash Sasuke and Sakura found themselves on the outside of the barrier as it rose to cover Shino in his entirety "Drat maybe we didn't add enough chakra" Sasuke frowned.

As the barrier was undone and the three of them sat down again "I don't think that's all there is to it actually" Sakura mused, scouring the formula with keen emerald eyes, picking out the tiniest details with the amount of studying on fuinjutsu she'd done for Naruto's sake.

It was all to easy to see the small mistake within the formula and she promptly showed it to Shino "Thank you, why because without you I wouldn't have seen it" Shino relaxed, and went about fixing that little mistake in his barrier formula.

Then they tried it again, managing a deeper violet color with a brown tint to it so it covered at least a person and a half "Before we go on I wonder how strong the barrier is right now" the brunet heir mused curiously.

"Well we can test it if you'd like Shino, hit it with regular punches and kicks, throw weapons at it or just have Sakura punch it with a light chakra enhanced punch" the second Uchiha Heir offered, Shino nodded in acceptance.

Though they left it mostly up to Sakura, who punched and kicked it at first with no results, threw weapons, nothing not even a crack, then channeled chakra into her punch, there and then the three of them were blown backwards as the barrier exploded.

"Ouch, owie, ow, that freaking hurt next time you can punch the barrier and have it explode on you" the pinkette cringed feeling blood dripping from her forehead where she'd clipped it on a rock, she held her breath while healing it so she didn't get woozy or sick at the smell.

Before standing to go find where her teammates had landed, not very far and the both of them seemed alright even if they were sitting on the ground "That was unexpected, why because I hadn't thought it would explode" Shino grimaced.

Rising to his feet "It was totally cool though, but I think next time we want to try out any idea like finding out how strong a barrier is we use a stand-in like a clone or something" Sasuke pointed out as they made their way to the blast sight.

And found the scrolls with the barrier formula written on them relatively unscathed which was actually pretty surprising "Could be useful in a pinch though in case we have a to tough of an opponent" Sakura added.

While both boys on her team looked at her in surprise but nodded so the formula was left that way in case of an emergency, and they moved on to practicing elemental ninjutsu until it was an hour before dinner time.

All three of them were nearly completely exhausted of chakra, with sweat pouring from their every pore and practically starved "Got a situation, some Sand Shinobi is beating up on Konohamaru" and Naruto just had to body flicker onto their training grounds with bad news.

"The hell happened to you guys, you look awful" the blonde seemed to notice, the burns, the scrapes, cuts and bruises, even scorched clothes, and became absolutely horrified as he realized they looked worn down as he wondered, just what the hell had they been doing all afternoon.

But the three of them stood and followed him to where the Hokage's grandson was being harassed "If I were you I'd let that boy go or face serious consequences for trying to harm Hokage-sama's grandson" the pinkette warned once they arrived on the scene.

Finding Konohamaru relatively unharmed but being held up by his shirt with the person holding onto him rearing back his fist to punch him no doubt "Kankuro you heard the girl, let him go now" a teal eyed blonde with a folded fan who was off to the side ordered urgently.

Glancing around fearfully for what they didn't know but it was worrisome on a small degree "Not until the little punk apologizes" the teenager they now knew as Kankuro grit out rearing back his fist again, onyx eyes narrowed.

Konohamaru brought his hands up to protect his face, what happened next astounded him as in less than a second he was stood behind Sakura, the only reason he knew her name was because of Naruto, while his attacker bit the dirt literally.

During the time the genin of his village had arrived Naruto had sneakily unrolled some wire behind his back and channeled chakra into it, directing the wire across the ground to wrap around Kankuro's leg, then with a mighty jerk of the wire he face planted.

How he was brought to safety was Shino's insects that lived inside his body the Kikaichu, at the precise moment Naruto had yanked on the wire attached to his tormentor "Cool that was wicked awesome Naruto-ni" Konohamaru whispered to the blonde in awe.

As he reeled in his wire, Naruto flashed him a grin before focusing his gaze forward as Kankuro leaped to his feet, face thunderous and eyes glaring murder at them "Don't, you were warned, accept the consequences of trying to hit Lord Hokage's grandson" the Uchiha shook his head.

When the older genin went to come after them clearly angry they'd gotten the drop on him "Temari help me kick their asses for what they did to me" the older brunet spat spittle flying from his mouth as he reached for the bandage wrapped thing on his back.

Now they knew the older girls name "Enough Kankuro you're an embarrassment to our village" a gravely voice said from a tree off to the side and all eyes turned to spy a boy attached to a branch upside down, with a large gourd on his back.

"Gaara where have you been" Temari paled quickly at the sight of the new person and Sakura honed in on that, standing closer to Shino in response as the Gaara person as he'd been named appeared before the other Sand Shinobi in a swirl of sand.

Probably very deadly sand and she made herself a promise to never get mixed up in it "I was only joking you shouldn't be so serious" Kankuro backpedaled at the sight of the red head because he certainly didn't want to die that day.

"Listen next time when someone warns you, why because you might find yourself disqualified from a certain even our village is hosting say our Hokage were to be informed you were harassing his grandson" the Aburame Heir pointed out seriously.

As the genin from the Hidden Sand Village turned to hurry off to wherever, Kankuro grit his teeth and nodded curtly before the three of them were out of sight of the four Leaf genin and one academy student.

Before Sakura turned on him "Aren't you supposed to be at the academy" Sakura put a hand on her hip and stared sternly down at the eight year old boy, raising a brow in askance when he began pouting hoping that she would let him off the hook.

Only to find out that she was about as straight-laced as they come when she continued staring at him like that "The academy's been canceled for the next couple of weeks while preparations are made for the exams" the little brunet huffed crossing his arms over his chest and sulking.

Sakura pat him gently on the head at that before ushering him off to home "See you tomorrow why because we still have to train" Shino nodded at his teammates and Naruto, then vanished in a swirl of kikaichu body flickering home just in time for dinner it seemed.

While the others did the same "I noticed your getting pretty good at wire manipulation Dope, cause that was awesome how you made that guy face plant" Sasuke smirked patting Naruto on the back as they walked leisurely home.

He flushed lightly in embarrassment "Have only been practicing for three solid weeks and it was still hard to control it" Naruto admitted sheepishly but the bright smile on his face told Sasuke that he was happy that someone had seen how he'd improved at one of his self assigned goals.

Then they were home and sitting with the older Haruno's around the table for dinner, cleaning up after themselves when they were done and heading off for showers or baths before crawling into their beds for some shut eye.

The next four days were like hell on earth for Team Seven as they trained until their bodies couldn't take anymore abuse "Honestly these kids" Shibi shook his head as he spied their passed out forms on their training grounds.

Covered in a multitude of injuries and a couple broken bones most likely if he wasn't mistaken as they seemed crazy enough right now, this was not what he expected when he nominated them for the Chunin Exams after all.

"Makes me wonder if my son doesn't need some therapy" the Aburame Patriarch sighed watching from his hiding spot in the tree for thirty minutes until the genin brats woke up from their impromptu naps.

But the three of them continued to lay there on the ground staring up at the sky for a little while longer no doubt feeling as if they moved to quickly things wouldn't end well for them, eventually though they did sit up carefully.

Very carefully at that and assess their injuries, before Sakura took a chakra replenishing pill then set to work on healing them, Sasuke helping as best he could with his slowly improving medical ninjutsu until most, more than half their injuries were healed.

He sent some kikaichu to listen in to their conversation when the trio of teammates/friends continued to sit there on the ground "So tomorrows the big day huh for your test are you ready for it Sakura" the Uchiha he was in charge of mentioned.

And Shibi was surprised, he hadn't thought it was that soon, probably for the best if they were going to participate in the Chunin Exams "Yeah I've done all I can, studied until it felt like my head was going to explode, so I'm hoping for the best" the pinkette nodded.

Looking concerned, but he knew that she'd be able to do it, from how much she'd trained and practiced the medical license exams should be a cinch for her "We'll go out to celebrate no matter what score you get, why because we're a team" his son piped in.

Making him chuckle at their camaraderie and feel glad that they were so close to one another, it allowed for smoother teamwork with zero arguments or fights between them, plus a good reputation on missions, D and C rank alike.

Then the three of them stood, bid each other farewell and body flickered, cherry blossoms, crow feathers and insects what a combination as he also headed home meeting his son in the foyer to make him think he'd been waiting.

While Sasuke and Sakura returned to the Haruno house for dinner and the next morning Sakura was off to take her license exam, leaving Sasuke to sit around the house and wonder until she came back which was hours later.

Not that she had an answer for him on how she did as they went off for light training, they didn't want to overdo it like they did yesterday before it was time to go home again, with only a week left before the Chunin Exams were really supposed to start, eat and then head to bed.


	20. The Written Round of the Chunin Exams

It was a rough couple of days after Sakura took her medical license exam waiting to hear any sort of news on whether she'd passed or failed "Relax Sakura-chan I'm sure you aced it like you've done every other sort of test you've taken" Mebuki soothed.

When the girl began pacing for the umpteenth time "I know, I know but still, I want to at least take the Chunin Exams as a licensed medic" Sakura sighed flopping down at the low living room table after a couple of minutes of restless pacing.

Off to the side Sasuke snorted and she elbowed him none to gently "You won't be laughing Teme when it's your turn to take the medical license exam" Naruto rolled his eyes having gotten serious about his fuinjutsu lately.

Scouring scroll after scroll or book after book on the subject courtesy of the Hokage who supplied him with countless material to read from "Hey Naruto Come Out And Train With Us" Kiba Inuzuka's voice echoed through the house from the front door.

Just as loud as they remembered the Inuzuka heir being "Kiba-kun please do..don't be so loud, Sak..Sakura-chan's parents wo..won't appreciate it no..nor will her neighbors" Hinata stuttered in a scolding tone as Naruto packed up his books, sealing them away in a scroll.

Before standing and hurrying towards the door excited to spend some time with his teammates, with a quick see you later over his shoulder Naruto was gone from the house, trailing after Kiba and Hinata to train like they wanted.

"Right, you two go find something to do as well, Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, Mebuki-chan and I have business to attend to" Kizashi shooed the remaining children off, ushering them out the door even so he could have some alone time with his wife.

They blinked when the door was slammed in their faces "Yeesh wonder what's gotten in to those two" Sasuke huffed trying to figure out something he and Sakura could do that wasn't more training, their bruises and cuts weren't completely healed yet after all.

Sakura shrugged likely "No idea, anyway I was thinking about what you said Sasuke, going to the Uchiha Compound to borrow books from your clan's library, want to go ask permission from Hokage-sama" the pinkette announced.

Having thought long and hard on the idea, Sasuke was quick to eagerly nod his head in answer even as they started down the streets "Thought you'd never ask" the raven haired preteen grunted glad that he'd be able to get his hands on some books that detailed the sharingan.

Eight minutes later they were stood before the Hokage who blew out a puff of smoke "Please don't tell me you've come here to confess more outrageous actions" Hiruzen sighed lowering his pipe and clasping his hands together.

"Actually Hokage-sama we were wondering if we could have permission to go into you know where" Sakura laughed awkwardly, Hiruzen frowned for a moment trying to figure out what she was talking about.

Until his face darkened in remembrance "It was my idea, I wanted to see what the clan's library had on the sharingan" Sasuke blurted not wanting Sakura to get in trouble for something he'd suggested, even if she'd been the one to ask.

Hiruzen relaxed "Very well but you'll have an anbu escort understand and no trying to give him the slip" the Hokage said sternly, flaring his chakra for one of his personal guard, through the floor he rose up, wearing a mask.

Then he was given his instructions "Let's go you two, I'll meet you at the gates" the man nodded accepting his orders from the Hokage, then sunk into the floor to their curiosity, no doubt they'd be asking questions when they arrived.

"Come on Sasuke" the rosette grabbed Sasuke by the hand, a simple action that she'd done a million times, then in a flurry of cherry blossom petals was gone, the petals fading out of existence a couple seconds after her departure.

Moments later they were stood before the gates of the Uchiha Compound for only the second time since the Massacre, and their escort was waiting for them on the other side "If I remember, the clan's library should be this way" the Uchiha tried to recall.

Heading down a random street no thoughts of giving their anbu escort the slip, he simply wanted to see what the clan had on the sharingan or anything else that he could find, Sakura was quiet as they walked keeping her gaze forward and not wandering around.

Until they found the building they were looking for and went inside, Sasuke lit some torches giving the library a dull glow so they could see "Poor books look at how filthy they are" Sakura frowned, irritated at the tomes condition.

Off to the side their escort coughing hiding a chuckle no doubt, they were use to Kakashi's attempts at hiding his laughter after all "Guess we'll just have to give them a little tlc and clean them up huh Sakura" Sasuke laughed.

Reaching for a cobweb/dust covered book on his right, brushing the filth from it's surface and cracking it open to read it's contents, his face morphed in confusion "What's the matter Sasuke" the pinkette asked in concern.

Already cleaning up various books that she could find "Can't read it that is what's the matter Sakura" the ebony haired preteen scowled, frustrated as he held out the book for her to see, emerald orbs scanned the contents within.

"Maybe try activating your sharingan that could be a special sharingan only book, just a hunch though" Sakura suggested seriously not to certain as Sasuke focused chakra into his eyes, which flickered bloody red with one tomoe in each iris still.

Then concentrated on the book in his hands "Wow you were right Sakura…but I don't like what it's saying" Sasuke admitted closing the book swiftly and made a split second decision to hand it over to their anbu escort.

Who took it in confusion "Says something about some rabbit goddess sealed away on the moon named Kaguya Otsutsuki, the mother of the ten tailed beast" the boy explained, at that the book was sealed away in a chakra coded scroll.

For safe keeping hopefully "Take a look at this one Sasuke, apparently there's all kinds of different sharingan patterns if you manage to activate your mangekyou" the pinkette called him over to her where she was reading from yet another potentially dangerous book.

Sasuke sighed, at this rate he was going to have to turn over a lot more books as that one was swiftly confiscated "Apparently my clan had a hobby for collecting dangerous books, go figure" the second to last Uchiha grumbled.

Grabbing for another book in hopes that it wouldn't be another troublesome one, thankfully third time was the charm as he cracked it open finding the book to be normal, detailing about the abilities a regular sharingan had.

And it was quickly sealed in a storage scroll on hand, anbu escort totally silent and keeping an eye out for any trouble most likely "What about this one Sasuke, on chakra points, mind if I borrow it" Sakura held out a book a few minutes later.

He glanced at it then shrugged "Keep it actually, we're family in all but blood after all" Sasuke said not to bothered, and struggled not to laugh as he realized that she was meticulously cleaning off each book she pulled from the shelves.

Even going so far as to clean the shelves off, the anbu coughed into his hand again "You know Anbu-san trying to hide your laughter behind a fake cough isn't getting you anywhere, Kakashi-sensei tries the same thing and it doesn't work" the rosette pointed out suddenly.

The man went lax for a moment the only way they could tell he was shocked before straightening again "That doesn't work either, we're pretty good at reading someone's body language, you were shocked" the ebony haired preteen smirked.

Only to have a piece of rock thrown at him and he twisted narrowly out of the way "Evasion training is paying off I see" Sakura snickered in an unapologetic tone of voice before turning back to the books to search for anymore interesting ones she might want to borrow or keep.

"It's still crude though and elementary at best, before the week is out I want to be at least low level intermediate" Sasuke crinkled his nose in frustration, being a medic was hard, especially with all the rules they had to follow.

Fifteen minutes later Sakura let out a gasp as she pried open a book that felt like it had been glued shut only to find a set of pictures within "Shisui" the fuscia haired preteen whispered, carefully dusting the photo off to reveal the teenager himself.

"Didn't even know that there were any pictures of Shisui" the raven haired preteen was right there at her side peering at the picture as well, taking in familiar features that he hadn't seen in four long years, he knew what Sakura was going to ask before she ever even asked it.

As she looked at him with hopeful green eyes "May I keep this Sasuke, to frame and remember him" Sakura clutched the photo tightly in her hand afraid that he would yank it away most likely it was hard to tell what she was actually thinking right now.

He knew his answer to "Of course you can, Shisui was like the older brother you wanted and never got and he was unfairly taken away from you" Sasuke shrugged yet again, a moment later she threw her arms around his neck squeezing tightly.

Murmuring thank you over and over again in his ear, then they focused on their self assigned tasks of finding books to take back to the Haruno House with them, an hour later found them with a sizeable stack that was sealed away.

Then they made their way back to the gates and out into the village where the anbu that had escorted them promptly sunk into the earth "There you are Haruno-san I have been looking everywhere for you to tell you the results of your licensing test" a medic panted.

Jogging up to them on their way home, hopefully by then Mebuki and Kizashi would be done with their business "Sorry, my Mom and Dad kind of kicked us out temporarily for some alone time" the rosette apologized.

Eyes wide and hopeful "Let me just say the hospital is proud to have such a talented upcoming medic like you Haruno-san, congratulations on passing your medical license exam with a full score on everything, here's your license" the medic cleared his throat.

Launching into a prepared spiel before presenting a little card with her name and photo on it, stating that she was fully qualified "Congratulations Sakura, let's go find Shino and celebrate" the Uchiha at her side clapped her on the back.

Pleased that she had passed which made him hopeful for when it came his turn, the medic left them on their own as Sakura nodded, spreading out her senses for the familiar chakra signature of her boyfriend/teammate.

Not that she had to search very hard as his chakra flickered to life right before them "My Father sent me away, why I don't know but he was behaving very oddly" Shino greeted as he body flickered in a swirl of kikaichu.

"What's that in your hand Sakura" the Aburame heir questioned spying the little card in her hand, then he took note of her expression of excitement and spied the retreating male dressed in the standard hospital garb.

It sunk in right before she threw her arms around his neck "I passed my medical license exam Shino-kun, as of today I am a fully qualified and licensed medic" Sakura squealed softly completely over the moon at the news.

"Yeah we were on our way to find you, then go and celebrate at Yakiniku Q and trust me, the rents for us we're acting pretty strange themselves" Sasuke smirked then he remembered what Shino had said about his father and decided to comment on the older Haruno's actions.

Shino blinked "Then shall we go to the place of celebration" Shino held out his arm for Sakura to take and she did so with a happy smile situated on her lips as they walked leisurely down the streets to the restaurant of choice.

Barbecue had been a big hit lately with Sakura so long as it was sweet barbecue and her teammates were going to indulge her sweet tooth in celebration of passing her other very serious exam especially before the Chunin Exams.

Four minutes later they were pushing aside the cloth to enter Yakiniku Q "Booth for three please" the raven haired preteen held up three fingers as a waiter spotted them and came over to them without making them wait.

A minute later they were seated in a booth with a grill between them "This has probably been the best day ever since we became genin" the pinkette squealed quietly unable to help herself, she was ecstatic right now.

"Can you tell us what the exam was like Sakura, why because I am curious" the brunet heir inquired curiously while looking over the menu to see if there was anything he wanted to try, while Sakura would no doubt order some sweet barbecue.

Viridian orbs flickered up from the menu she was looking up to meet his covered gaze "Difficult, there were many questions about the functions of the brain, how to heal all sorts of damage done to it, and the functions of the body, plus different medicinal herbs and poisonous ones, then there was the demonstration" Sakura explained.

"Is that why you were completely drained when you came back from taking your test at the hospital" Shino grimaced realizing that the medical licensing exam had been like hell on earth for her, as Sakura nodded seriously in answer.

Beside her Sasuke flinched "Guess there's no hope for me then on the exam, there's no way I'll be able to remember all that stuff" Sasuke groaned as he remembered the amount of studying Sakura had done in two weeks and over the years just to be a medic.

Engrossed in their conversation as they were, the trio of best friends/teammates missed the sudden eavesdroppers as they took the booth directly across from them "It's the little brats that pissed me off" a familiar voice drew them from their conversation.

To spy the Sand Genin with an unfamiliar person sitting with them in a booth right next to them "Ah but if I recall Kankuro-san it was due to your own fault, why because you shouldn't have tried to hit Hokage-sama's grandson regardless of what happened even after you were warned" the Aburame Heir pushed his sunglasses back into their proper place.

Reminding the older genin of his actions "Forget that, what exam were you talking about, surely not the Chunin Exam, because we haven't taken it yet so there's no way you three have taken it ahead of everyone else" Temari narrowed her teal eyes on them.

"Completely different exam, as of today, she's a fully qualified medic of the Hidden Leaf Village" the raven haired preteen gestured to the lone girl in his booth, who smiled softly looking very pleased with herself that she'd accomplished one of her goals.

Kankuro and Temari stared "How is it you managed that, a little on the young side don't you think pardon my manners I am Baki, these three's sensei for all intents and purposes" Baki introduced himself to the trio of Leaf Genin.

And the lone girl faced him all good and proper, glancing to her teammates first, who nodded reluctantly "Sakura Haruno and yes I'm only twelve still, however from the get go I've had near perfect chakra that I have honed tirelessly over the years" the pinkette answered honestly.

Then her attention was taken away as the waiter came back to take their order before ambling away "That boy, how did he yank Kankuro down" Gaara rumbled in a gravely tone of voice, having been quiet thus far and listening to the conversation going on around him.

"We're not under any sort of liberation to tell you that as it's the Dope's right, Sasuke Uchiha" Sasuke admitted seriously not giving away skills that Naruto had, everything had been so happy lately that he didn't want to make the boy angry by giving away some of his secrets.

Gaara narrowed pale green irises "Naruto is our friend it's not our prerogative to tell others his secrets or abilities why because then he'd be upset with us, Shino Aburame" Shino frowned eyeing their unhappy expressions, also introducing himself even if he was reluctant to do so.

Utter silence met that explanation as the Sand Shinobi absorbed themselves in their own conversation leaving the Leaf genin alone "Goodness your on a roll lately Shino-kun" Sakura giggled lightly in amusement at Shino's antics.

He shot her a small smile, tugging down his coat collar to show it off even as their meat or vegetables finally came and they got started on grilling it, having a regular ole blast as they chattered about this or that.

Eating all the while until it came time for dessert matcha anmitsu for Sakura, dango for Shino and Sasuke went without because he wasn't a fan of desserts really "Alright my Father should be over whatever sort of oddness has plagued him recently" the Aburame heir sighed.

Placing down his portion of ryo to pay for their extravagant meal "See you tomorrow for training Shino-kun" the rosette waved pecking his cheek real quick to Sasuke's amusement as Shino's cheeks flushed a light red in response as he returned the gesture.

Before vanishing in a swirl of kikaichu as they headed from the restaurant "Come on Sakura, let's go see if those two are done having their alone time" the Uchiha shook his head dragging Sakura down the streets to the house.

And within only to meet their sensei in the foyer "This is a surprise" Shibi commented staring down at two of his students in veiled shock because he'd been certain that Shino would keep them busy for awhile longer.

"Certainly Shibi-sensei is something wrong it's been a long time since you visited after all" Sakura frowned in concern worried that something had happened with her parents, she loved them to much for that to happen.

Shibi shook his head "Nothing is wrong, merely mentioned something important to your parents that you'll learn about after the Chunin Exams" the Aburame Patriarch patted her gently on the head favoring the young girl still quite a bit after all the adventures she'd been on with him and Shino.

Her facial features relaxed while her expressive vibrant eyes filled with relief and he took that chance to disappear on his genin to avoid anymore questions "Tch that man" Sasuke grumbled shucking his sandals while Sakura grinned in amusement.

Then together they headed into the living room to find the older Haruno couple, the duo was quiet but neither of the young preteens really minded as they sat and unsealed a plethora of books that they'd collected the from Uchiha Clan library to read.

Until Naruto came home by then Mebuki and Kizashi had pulled out of their thoughts and had engaged in light chatter before Mebuki wandered off to make dinner for the five of them, Shino suspiciously absent that night as they headed up to bed.

The following day had Team Seven back on their training field, training like crazy "So even left to their own devices they train" Asuma commented joining Shibi in his tree for the moment and lighting up a cigarette watching the kids as he did so.

"Indeed, they probably felt underprepared for the Chunin Exams so have trained accordingly so they would feel ready" Shibi admitted it was the only explanation he'd been able to come up with for their insane training schedule.

Asuma snorted in amusement and twenty minutes later the two Jonin left them to their own devices "Think that's enough for the day" the raven haired preteen panted out of breath and ready to collapse right then there.

"Yeah I think that's good enough Sasuke, why because I can finally cover three people in my barrier" the Aburame Heir had no such qualms about flopping down on a boulder to rest for a couple of minutes.

Out of breath and drained on chakra like his teammates but accomplished "Only if we squeeze really close together" the pinkette on the team piped in with a grin having a little bit of energy to spare not much though.

Proving that her stamina had increased from the ridiculous training they were putting themselves through, she popped a chakra restorative pill in the next moment to replenish her chakra before moving around to her teammates to heal them over their self attained injuries.

Healing herself afterwards when she was done with them before they split up unlike how it had been since the beginning of their two week time limit, by the end of the week Shino's violet colored barrier had grown a little more.

And they finally felt ready enough to take the Chunin Exams "Keep yourselves inconspicuous, scope out the competition so to speak and do not give away any information such as abilities, besides your name" Sakura warned for Naruto and his teammates.

As the members of Team Eight gathered in front of her house "Roger that Sakura, believe me" Kiba saluted while Akamaru gave a yip in agreement, if she was taking the time out of their morning to give them that sort of warning he was going to take it to heart.

"W..We're going on ahead okay s..see you at the ac..academy" Hinata waved stuttering a little more than usual that day, nerves were most likely eating away at her, making her stutter worse than it had been since their class field trip.

Sakura waved back calmly "Later Sakura-chan and I promise not to be to obvious" Naruto grimaced, he'd been made to find a really dark orange outfit that was nearly black in color, upgraded with Mibojin's silk for extra protection just in case.

Just five minutes after Team Eights departure, the last member of Team Seven appeared "Naruto leave already, why because I thought we were all walking together" Shino frowned noting the absence of the goofy blonde that was another of his friends.

"Left with his team a few minutes ago, we should head that way ourselves" Sasuke pointed out, they took their usual places on either side of Sakura and started down the streets to the academy that had been designated the place for their first round of the Chunin Exams.

It was quiet as they walked, tension palpable in the air, they had none of the usual chatter between them until they arrived "Must have went inside" the Uchiha grunted disturbed at the knucklehead's lack of patience.

While he had changed quite a bit, he was still the same goofy kid they'd known since their academy days and Naruto didn't do subtle on a regular day unless it was really necessary of him "Calm down Sasuke I'm sure he's fine" the pinkette soothed gently.

Patting his hand like he was use to "Yeah besides you didn't tell him he couldn't go in" the brunet on her other side piped in with a brow raised and Sasuke scowled but nodded in understanding, because they hadn't told that Dope he couldn't go inside.

At that they hurried in themselves "Give me a break what do they take me for, genjutsu" Sakura scoffed at someones petty attempts at trying to confuse them, only explaining when her teammates gave her a very odd look.

"Now that you mention it I do sense the fluctuation of chakra in the air" Shino noted as they trekked up the steps and found what the genjutsu was actually for, even though he knew it was a genjutsu and could only recall walking up one set of stairs.

He was still a little confused as to how so many other talented genin couldn't figure out the genjutsu or even sense it, with a roll of his eyes "Come on you two" Sasuke snorted in disgust, so much for the competition.

With that they turned their backs on the group in the hallway making their way to the room they were supposed to meet in "Hold up just where do you three think your going" an unfamiliar voice called from behind them, stopping them in their tracks.

"To the room 301 of course" the Aburame Heir stated simply then continued walking undeterred not really paying attention to who had spoken ushering Sakura along with a hand on her back, Sasuke trailing after them.

Leaving behind a bunch of confused genin no doubt, five minutes later they turned a corner to find room 301 and found their sensei waiting for them "Sensei what are you doing here" the ebony haired preteen frowned lost as to what was going on.

Shibi gave them a small smile "To give you a pep talk, there is nothing that can make me prouder knowing that you came here together knowing that the exam will be difficult yes, but I have no doubts that the three of you will pass this round" Shibi explained.

"Now go face your future and walk your chosen paths with pride" the Aburame Patriarch opened the door for his students allowing them to slip into room 301, and the door shut behind them with a quiet clatter.

Every single eye was on them in the next moment glaring at them, daring the newbies to make a commotion "Over there" the rosette of Team Seven whispered nudging her teammates towards where she spotted Naruto, Kiba and Hinata.

"Thought you guys were never going to get here, it's creepy being in this room with so many people that glare at you for the slightest thing" the blue eyed blonde latched onto Sakura thankful that the girl was there now.

Kiba and Hinata nodded sagely in agreement "Yeah for a moment even I thought those guys with the musical note headbands were going to attack us" the Inuzuka Heir admitted while Akamaru whimpered, affected by all the powerful chakra in the room.

"I..It mi..might have s..seemed that way bu..but I bet fig..fighting is pr..prohibited d..during this round" the blue haired heiress stuttered horrendously back to how she use to be during their academy days while the others winced.

Sakura's chakra kept them grounded though with it's soothing feel as they stood staring around subtly at the other genin in the room with them until the door was flung open to admit Team Ten into the exam room.

"Forehead, Sasuke-kun it's been forever since we've seen each other and hung out" Ino greeted as they ambled over and she threw her arms around Sasuke's neck, pressing her front into his back, Sasuke gave her a glare that could scare the devil himself into submission.

But she was completely unfazed "Kami Ino would it kill you to act normal for once, I don't think those guys appreciate it" Choji shook his head at his teammates antics, munching on chips rapidly, nervous and feeling overwhelmed right now.

While gesturing to the other genin in the room with them, who were glaring murderously in their direction, Ino gulped and released her captive, ducking her head down "It's okay, their probably just on edge is all" Shikamaru assured carefully.

Taking her antics for what they were, a way to assure herself "Sorry Sasuke, Sakura was teasing really" the Yamanaka Heiress smiled sheepishly shuffling her feet awkwardly and doing her best to ignore the glares that were being directed at her.

The duo in question shrugged but remained silent "You feel it to that killing intent then" the Nara Heir inched his way to stand at Sakura's side missing the disgruntled look that appeared on Shino's face at his proximity to the girl.

Choji didn't though and he wondered what that expression was for "Like Ino said though it has been forever" the Akimichi heir pointed out deciding not to comment or question on why Shino looked jealous over Shikamaru standing next to Sakura.

With that the nine of them stood around chatting quietly to one another, they noted the absence of Team Nine as well seems their sensei hadn't thought they were ready enough for the exams, just as well because there was already way to many genin in the room.

Overcrowding it really and unknown to them a genin started towards their close knit group "This is not what I expected for a bunch of rookies, I thought you'd be loud and unaware" the gray haired teenager greeted.

Startling the nine genin, who crowded closer together in response to his nearness "My apologies I didn't mean to startle you, I'm Kabuto Yakushi a fellow genin, failed the exam three times so I decided to try it again" Kabuto introduced himself with a kind smile.

Missing the suspicion in two of the younger genin's gazes while the thirds was hidden behind his sunglasses "What was the point in approaching us, when all you did was draw attention onto us again, troublesome" Shikamaru grumbled irritated that all those glares were directed at them again.

Kabuto blinked in surprise "If I did I apologize for that to, I merely wished to offer my help if you have any questions about someone participating in the exam" the gray haired teenager offered politely holding out a stack of cards.

"That's not necessary, we're doing just fine on our own thanks" Kiba glared not wanting to be seen as weak that he would need help during the first round of the Chunin Exams, his Ma would have his hide if she ever found out.

Just a little shocked by that point the cards were put away "Very well then, but know that I'm available to help at any time" Kabuto waved wandering back towards his teammates feeling unsuccessful in his mission to make nice with the brats under his master's orders.

Earning their trust was not going to be easy it seemed with how close knit they were "Talk about a jerk, who does he take us for, idiots or something" Naruto huffed under his breath upset that they were being taken lightly just because they were rookies.

"Now, now Naruto no point in being so flustered over it" Sakura soothed, allowing her chakra to settle their uneasiness by flaring it subtly, washing over them in a soothing way that had all the other rookies relaxing.

Until she felt chakra converging on the room they were all stood around in "Our proctor is coming" Shino shifted to stand closer to Sakura, growing tense yet again, then in a large plume of smoke chunin rank shinobi and a jonin that was very familiar to three genin was stood at the front of the room.

"Listen up you baby faced degenerates my name's Ibiki Morino your proctor for the first exam, line up hand over your forms and then sit the hell down so that I can explain the rules of the written test" Ibiki snarled at the genin.

Making them scramble "Crap written test man I'm gonna fail" Naruto groaned wishing that he had put in some effort to study something other than fuinjutsu, as one of the sentinels waved a stack of papers at him a smug smirk on his face that he itched to smack off.

Sakura patted his arm and out of the corner of his eye he saw something scurrying up his sleeve to hide under the collar of his shirt, of course he realized in the next moment recognizing the little creature as Irome one of her tiny spider summons.

He noticed her patting Sasuke and Shino on the backs as well, transferring little spiders over to them "Good luck to each of you" Sasuke blew out a breath, as they all lined up in an orderly fashion and found themselves separated from their teammates.

The knucklehead was lucky as he found himself seated next to Hinata "N..Naruto-kun" Hinata nodded quietly at her teammate, trying not to make it to obvious that she was part of his team when the idea had probably been to make it so they couldn't sit with their teammates.

Both of them were lucky in that regard while the last member of their team was rows behind them, the same thing happened with Shino, Sasuke and Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji to she noticed taking that chance to peer around carefully as the test papers were passed around.

Ibiki waiting until all of them had one in front of them before taking a piece of chalk "Rule number one no talking, no cheating, if your caught cheating three times game over your disqualified, last rule when there's ten minutes left I will give a tenth question" Ibiki explained.

Writing down the various rules on the chalkboard for the genin brats making sure they understood before allowing them to start, immediately the room with the sound of pencils scratching on paper as he sat down, scanning the rows trying to find anyone cheating.

Sakura blew out a breath, swiping her long pink hair out of her eyes as she scribbled down the answer to the fourth question 'Boy am I glad I studied those advanced equations a few days ago' she thought to herself.

Jade eyes scanning the paper, biting her lip in thought, then she glanced subtly to Shiruki who was perched under her chin hiding in a lock of her hair, she made it look like she was studying the test paper intently bringing it close to her face for Shiruki to read.

Then pass off the answers to the others who had need of them, out of the corner of her eye she caught Sasuke subtly flashing his sharingan around, hurriedly deactivating the dojutsu when a sentinel gazed in his direction.

Peering down at his test paper and tapping his pencil before reverting to his sharingan again when the stare had moved on, though once in awhile his gaze would trail to his shoulder glancing at the tiny spider Kafu who gave him some answers.

There was also Shino to consider, who was using his kikaichu to search out answers sneakily every so often she caught sight of one of the beetles flying around the room before focusing her attention on her own test again.

Cranking off the rest of the answer in due time, she didn't want to answer them to quick after all, it would just draw unwanted attention onto her, she even made a big show of reviewing her answers to make sure they were right.

So that Shiruki could memorize them and hand off the answers to Naruto most likely before placing her test paper down nice and neat on the desk until there was only ten minutes left, their proctor stood.

"Pencils down I will now give the tenth question" the Anbu Commander barked and some of the genin jumped, Sakura however narrowed her eyes as she felt the killing intent wafting from the man, to no doubt weed out the weaker bellied genin in the room.

And she was right as several teams stood and it was the moment of truth, answer the question and have it be wrong and be banned from ever taking the exams again or bail out and try again in six months, Sakura grit her teeth.

Determined to hold her ground, Shino and Sasuke shared her sentiments as they two squared their shoulders not willing to give in when they'd already come this far a commotion at the front of the room had several of the rookies grinning.

Naruto had stood and slammed his hand on the desk startling Hinata "I don't quite and I don't run, even if I'm a genin for the rest of my life I'll still be Hokage someday" the blonde shouted done being inconspicuous oh well he'd lasted longer than they thought he would at being subtle for once.

This gave the others still in the room the courage to stay put as well, fighting off the killing intent "That so…well congratulations you all pass to the second round" Ibiki clapped smirking at some of their shocked expressions while Naruto flushed in embarrassment.

Before he could go into detail on the no tenth question trick he'd pulled on them, the window shattered and up went a banner to reveal the craziest looking woman they'd ever met, eating a dango of all things.

"Names Anko Mitarashi and I'm your proctor for the seconds round, follow me you maggots" Anko ordered from around her stick only to pause and turn on her commander for a couple of minutes as she realized that there were still a lot of genin.

Until she shrugged "Oh well by the time I'm done with them, there will less than half of you left" the purple haired woman smirked sending a shudder rolling down their spines as they followed her to the site their second round would be conducted.

Only to stop before a creepy ass forest, Naruto latched on to Sakura immediately "Right this here is the Forest of Death, starting tomorrow you lot will be spending five days in there fighting to collect a pair of scrolls and reach the tower in the center of the forest" Anko explained.

She also went on to explain a bunch of rules and whatnot before giving them one last final warning "I suggest you come prepared and if you don't show up at exactly 0800 hours consider yourself officially disqualified" the purple haired woman finished.

Dismissing the remaining genin from the written exam round to trail home "Make sure you pack well Hinata-chan, Kiba" Sakura warned before the two heirs could run off the duo nodded seriously ambling away afterwards.

"Might join you for dinner later and bring my pack so that I pack the necessary things" Shino commented, Sakura smiled lightly before frowning as she glanced back at the forest of death, getting a foreboding feeling about it.

It was like that night in the Uchiha Compound, on a smaller scale sure but definitely higher than the C turned A rank mission she and Sasuke had been on "Your getting a bad feeling again aren't you Sakura" Sasuke groaned.

Realizing what the look on her face meant especially when she nodded sagely in answer "That just means we'll all have to be super extra careful" Naruto said not daring to brush off her foreboding feelings not after that mission they'd all went on together.

Another nod as they turned down the streets to their house "I'm going to stop by the market and get some things, you two go on home" the pinkette announced suddenly making a beeline to one of their favorite shops as they passed it.

Leaving the boys to trek home alone, halfway to the aisle that held what she was looking for there was suddenly someone pacing along behind her, elbow perched on her shoulder, her eye twitched and her lips pulled down in another frown.

As she prepared to lay into the person who dared invade her personal space like that "Yo Kid been awhile hasn't it" Darui's familiar voice echoed in her ears before she could launch into a rant about how it was rude to put your elbow on people.

Her eyes widened "Darui-san what are you doing here is Cee-san with you, and yeah it has been nearly a month if I recall, lots of things have happened" Sakura chattered as Darui removed his elbow from her shoulder following her around normally now and not invading her personal space.

"Oh really care to share Kid, sorry Cee isn't with me today, but he is, Amai this is one of the kids we stayed with while Boss was drawing up the treaty" the dark skinned male turned calling out to whoever Amai was.

In the next second a brunet was stood beside them sporting a kind smile "I've heard a great many things about you Sakura-san and like Darui said I am Amai, a medic like Cee" Amai introduced himself kindly.

Sakura blinked at him "Well Amai-san it's nice to meet you and our sensei nominated us for the Chunin Exams, also I'm a licensed medic now, took the test and passed it with flying colors" the pinkette grinned.

While Darui shook his head in amusement, Amai was just a tiny bit shocked "Your sensei must have a lot of faith in you and your teammates Sakura-san and that's great I'm sure the hospital is glad to have someone with your talent on the staff" the brunet commented.

The girl nodded her head seriously "How are those boys doing, I don't just mean Naruto and Sasuke, but your little boyfriend to" Darui teased in the next moment, like he expected Sakura turned bright red in embarrassment.

"Not cool Darui-san and their fine, Shino-kun's gotten into barrier seals, Naruto's taking fuinjutsu seriously and Sasuke's in training to be the world's first Uchiha Medic" Sakura stuck her tongue out before giving the man a proper answer to his question.

Behind them the other Cloud Shinobi chuckled in amusement "What about you Sakura-san is there anything that you'll be getting into such as poisons or the like" Amai inquired lightly watching her wander here or there.

Searching for specific things on the shelves probably "I'm leaving poisons up to Sasuke, crafting antidotes is more my style as I've learned, and learning genjutsu as well, might incorporate that into my body flicker, craft my own unique illusion" the rosette mused.

Delving into her thoughts to their surprise "Those two we passed on the way back to our village, they were your parents weren't they Kid" the dark skinned Jonin drew her from those thoughts carefully in the next moment.

Wanting to keep talking before she disappeared on them "Huh oh yeah they also adopted Naruto and Sasuke the following day so we're family for real now" the fuscia haired preteen admitted in a fond tone of voice.

Amai's brows raised at that "Family huh somehow I get the feeling even if your parents hadn't adopted them, you'd still consider them that way" the brunet said and the girl nodded her head eagerly in answer.

"That's right, ooh drat got to back up for a moment" Sakura frowned missing one of the things needed the duo of Cloud Shinobi took a couple of steps backward allowing her to reach up on her tiptoes and grab at least four medium sized boxes of food pills.

Plopping them in the basket on her arm before wandering down the aisle some more pulling what had at first seemed random things to them from the shelves "Are you going on a mission or something" Darui frowned in confusion.

Seeing the amount of nonperishable things the girl was getting "Survival round of the Chunin Exams starts tomorrow, we'll be in a forest for five days" the pinkette answered truthfully, glancing around to see if she needed to grab anything else.

"I see so that means you'll be unavailable for the next five days after this" Amai stated simply and she nodded, nicking a box of mesh bags as she spotted them, followed by a few extra rolls of ninja wire and four boxes of smoke bombs.

Her basket was stuffed full at that point "Mm I wonder if this will really be enough" Sakura muttered to herself still contemplating on grabbing a few other things, maybe a new weapon to add variety at that thought she turned heading down a different aisle.

Cloud Shinobi trailing her and slightly amused at her obsessive tendencies watching as she snagged two packs of shuriken, one pack of kunai, and a tantou "Right I should get going nice meeting you Amai-san, see you Darui-san" then the rosette waved.

Marching her way to the check out counter and when everything had been rung up and paid for she took the bags and body flickered in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Thought you'd take a little longer, Shino-kun is waiting for you in Sasuke-kun's room with Naruto-kun" Mebuki greeted.

On her way out the door for some reason or another "We thought we'd go open our stall for a couple hours today late as it is though" Kizashi explained when he appeared in the foyer a couple seconds after she'd entered the house.

"Just have fun packing and Shino-kun is spending the night I believe on request of his Father who has decided to disappear on him" the blonde woman snickered at the antics of males while Sakura giggled right along with her mother.

Kizashi pouted "Anyway just don't do anything I wouldn't do" the pink haired male singsonged in an obnoxious and annoying way that had his wife slapping him upside the head with a roll of her emerald orbs.

A moment later the door shut behind them "Yeesh sometimes I wonder how I manage them at all" Sakura shook her head with a quiet fond snort shucking her sandals and nudging them off to the side as neatly as she could get them without setting down her bags.

Before heading up the stairs, hanging a right into Sasuke's room "Bout time Sakura-chan we've been waiting forever" Naruto huffed at her pouting for some reason or another that she had no idea on.

Next to him Sasuke rolled his eyes "It hasn't been that long and besides Sakura's the best at packing between us" Sasuke snorted rising to take some of the clearly heavy bags only to set them all on the floor.

Then Sakura disappeared for a few moments longer to grab her pack "Right so what all are we going to pack" Shino questioned eyeing the amount of bags and things that had been bought from a shop in the market.

"First off clean clothes only for a week this time, add an extra set along with another pair of sandals, the laundry detergent as well" the pinkette instructed, Shino sighed and made a clone before sending it off to acquire the necessary things from his home.

Eight minutes later it was back with a weeks worth of clothes, one extra set and another pair of sandals for him while Sakura nudged over a bottle of laundry detergent for him "Personal stuff next right Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde grinned.

Having a small idea on what they'd be packing next, again Shino set his clone off to his house and when the clone came back, shampoo, conditioner, two towels each, moist towelettes, and a body poof was sealed into a scroll.

Off to the side Sakura was doing the same for Naruto's teammates, knowing she'd bought enough to spare some for Kiba and Hinata "Our food supplies are next, are we taking perishable stuff or…" the ebony haired preteen trailed off unsure.

"Just nonperishable, dried foods and food pills that we can ration, I also bought a can opener, one for you to Naruto that can be shared equally between us it will go in a side pocket on my pack okay, also got a map for the forest and a compass that we can look over later" Sakura explained.

Grabbing another scroll rationing out the dried food "So no fires will be made is what your saying" the Aburame heir commented realizing how different things were going to be once they got their survival round underway, fighting in a creepy forest didn't really appeal to him though.

Barring not showing up he knew he didn't have a choice Sasuke and Sakura would be angry with him no doubt "Yes exactly Shino-kun" the rosette quipped in an upbeat tone of voice, dividing the food pills up into the mesh bags she'd found.

Sealing them away in the food supply scroll, while they didn't have to worry about their water supply scrolls "Between Sakura and I we have enough medical supplies to last us at least two months probably but I can spare some for Naruto" Sasuke added.

Spying his medical supply scroll and rationed out some for the knucklehead while Sakura did the same for Naruto's teammates and Shino, their medical pouches were also stuffed full with all manners of things.

While Sakura handed over the new weapons, the tantou to Sasuke, "Thanks Sakura-chan" Naruto grinned as he received a new pack of shuriken regular in color sure, she kept a pack of shuriken for herself while the kunai went to Shino.

Weapons supply scrolls were added to their packs with a couple of extra being spared for Kiba and Hinata just in case, lastly was their survival kit though three of the genin doubted they'd use it, followed by sleeping bags until their packs were completely ready.

With that Naruto, Sasuke, Shino and Sakura flopped back on the floor staring at the ceiling "How do you think it will go tomorrow, why because I have a feeling that things aren't going to be good for us" Shino commented.

Echoing Sakura's earlier sentiments of having a foreboding feeling about the forest of death, none of them had an answer though until a knock on the door came "Oi Naruto Let Us In, My Ma Decided To Kick Me Out For The Night" Kiba yelled from outside the house.

Naruto groaned but popped up from the ground to go answer the door "K..Kiba-kun how many ti..times have I t..told you do..don't be so loud in fro..front of other people's houses, s..sorry Naruto-kun but d..do you think Mr. and Mr..Mrs Haruno would mind if we stayed the night" Hinata scolded before making her own request.

Apologizing sheepishly at the same time "Course not Hinata-chan, Kiba-kun you two are very welcome to spend the night so long as you actually get some sleep" Mebuki piped in from behind the duo, Kiba shuddered at how easily the woman had snuck up on him.

"I think you scared him Mebuki-chan" Kizashi laughed raucously slapping the Inuzuka heir on the back, Naruto fought down the hysterical laughter that he wanted to break out in at the look on Kiba's face, utter horror and disturbance.

Before he cleared his throat and gestured for his teammates to take off their sandals and follow him up the stairs, where Sakura passed over the extra supply scrolls that she'd set aside for them and flopped down on her belly.

Map spread out on the floor in front of her with Shino and Sasuke crowded around it, deciding to go with it Kiba and Hinata joined the other genin on the floor alongside of Naruto where they spent at least an hour pouring over it and plotting out routes that would lead them to the tower.

Until the older Haruno's called them down for supper where the meal was a literally riot with Kiba at the table, he did get whacked a couple of times with a spoon that Mebuki carried around before the woman sent them to shower and go to bed.


	21. Forest of Death and Survival Round

Early the following morning around five o'clock, Sakura was the first to wake "Sak..Sakura-chan i..is something the matter" Hinata sat up when she felt the bed shifting beneath her, proving to be a very light sleeper.

"Nope all's good I was just going to head down and get started on breakfast for everyone then wake up the ones that don't come down at the smell of food" Sakura admitted stuffing her feet into her house slippers and padding for her dresser.

Hinata watched for a couple of minutes then stood to get ready as well, in a manner of minutes both girls were dressed and ready for the day "Is e..everything okay" the blue haired heiress frowned watching Sakura fidget with her long hair.

It was all the way past her waist now "Was wondering if you'd help me Hinata-chan twist it into a braided bun" the pinkette requested shyly not use to really dealing with her hair, she mostly just left it down, but she got the feeling that leaving it down for the survival round would not be a good idea.

The pale eyed girl was quick to nod and start messing with the silky pink tresses, to top it off when she was done she even weaved spikes into the bun, after that the two girls crept quietly down the stairs to the kitchen.

Where Sakura got started on breakfast, nearing six o'clock Sasuke padded into the kitchen, yawning but sporting his pack "Morning" Sasuke greeted slumping into a chair at the table with Hinata who gave him a nod while Sakura echoed his morning greeting.

Plating up the food as it got finished "Uh-oh I know that look and I'm sure glad I woke up on time" the raven haired preteen winced when Sakura rolled up her sleeves and marched back up the stairs, four minutes later she came trailing back down sporting an accomplished smile.

And eight minutes after that Shino, Kiba and Naruto entered the kitchen trepidation in Naruto and Kiba's gazes "Well I know who you got that creepy factor from, your mom can be pretty creepy to" Kiba shuddered sitting down warily.

Sakura smiled innocently "Thankfully I was already awake, but what did she do to you two" Shino focused his attention on the other genin at the table with them, curious as to how his girlfriend had woken up the two most stubborn guys in their age group.

"Not like she really did anything but stand over us smiling just like that" Naruto pointed at the innocent smile on Sakura's face, Hinata covered her mouth to stifle her giggles while Sasuke's shoulders shook in silent laughter.

Kiba shivered "Believe me that smile is anything but innocent to" the Inuzuka heir grimaced accepting the plate and glass of green tea that was set before him with a grateful smile that they wouldn't have to go hungry that morning.

"But still did you have to wake us up so early Sakura-chan" the blonde sulked lightly not quite fully awake yet, he was just to scared to fall back to sleep especially with Sakura at the table, who knows what she'd do.

Shino shook his head "It's better this way, we'll be wide awake and ready for the survival round, plus we'll be able to go early and scope out the competition again, choose targets and such" the Aburame heir said seriously.

Like the idea had never occurred to the others, he knew his girlfriend well though "Hey Shino yesterday you reeked of jealousy when Nara stood next to her, why is that" Kiba questioned suddenly remembering the scent that had wafted from Shino.

"Ca..Cause th..their dating Ki..Kiba-kun, Sh..Shikamaru-kun didn't pick up o..on that though" Hinata piped in, having noticed rather easily the change in dynamics between two best friends, they'd been close during the academy but now they were closer.

Her teammate blinked in shock as they all cleaned up after themselves, doing up the dishes and preparing themselves to head to the site that had been designated for their second round "Right before I forget" Sakura pulled them all to a halt in the next moment.

Just as they were getting ready to go out the door, flying through a set of hand signs and summoning four little spiders "Great idea Sakura-chan, Irome you can come with me Kiba and Hinata-chan" Naruto grinned.

Excited that Sakura was lending one of her summons to him again, while Shiruki, Kafu and Ashi perched themselves on their usual partners, Kiba looked intrigued but didn't ask as Sakura wrote a quick note to her parents then ushered the lot of them out the front door, locking it behind her.

Then they were marching down the streets to the Forest of Death "So how do you think it's going to be" Sasuke asked when they were stood before that imposing and creepy looking forest, Team Eight splitting off from them and now it was just the three of them in Team Seven again.

"No idea, be prepared for anything, why because anything could happen" Shino commented, still not liking how foreboding the forest looked and standing as close to Sakura as he could get, keeping an eye out for trouble as well.

Because he didn't want to be caught off guard it was to that thought, that he turned and held out a scent pouch to Sasuke "You want me to have one to" the Uchiha frowned taking the little bag and tucking it carefully into his storage pouch.

Shino nodded seriously "Why just in case we get separated somehow not that I doubt Shiruki, Kafu and Ashi in any way but it's always good to have a back up on hand" the brunet stated simply pushing his sunglasses back into place.

Sakura blew out a breath, allowing her gaze to roam for a couple of seconds, subtly eyeing other genin in her peripheral before focusing her attention on her teammates again "Looks like it's starting" the pinkette said.

Noting the time to be just a minute past zero eight hundred hours, right on time as their crazy proctor Anko Mitarashi appeared in a plume of smoke and launch into a tirade of explanations and rules that made their heads spin.

Halfway through Team Eight noticed Naruto sassing the woman "Knucklehead just had to provoke her" Sasuke shook his head when Anko threw a kunai at the blonde, cutting his cheek only to body flicker behind the boy and lick his cheek creepily.

What happened next was way more unnerving than that "Disturbing why because having a tongue that long is unnatural" Shino cringed as the genin from Grass returned the kunai Anko had thrown before heading back to her teammates.

"Make a note to stay the hell away from that one, Shino, Sasuke cause that was freaking creepy, hey Shiruki-chan, add some of your venom to the spikes in my hair" Sakura shuddered feeling as if all the warmth in her body had been stolen, then commanded her summons as an afterthought.

Just in case really, then they were told to sign consent forms so that their proctor wasn't responsible if they died in the forest before lining up to get their starting scroll and a gate number to go along with it.

Before they stood waiting around even more for their second round to begin right as they were starting to think it would never begin a buzzer sounded and the gate in front of them swung open with an eerie creak "Well Shino, Sasuke let's go" the rosette took charge.

Emerald orbs narrowed in determination "Roger that Sakura lead the way to victory" the ebony haired preteen said, knowing they could rely on her slightly more advanced chakra sensory skills to pick out a weaker team for them to steal their scroll from.

She took a deep breath then led the way forward, teammates on her heels "How do you suppose we should take them out" the brunet on the team questioned when they came upon another team, suppressing their chakra to the best of their abilities in the meantime.

"Clones for a diversion tactic, then you Shino can use the poisonous bugs in the tree there to drop down on them while their busy with our clones, and Sakura can whip up an antidote for them once their down and we have their scroll secured" Sasuke rattled off.

A plan they were all satisfied with to be precise as clones were made from each of them and sent in as their stand-in's to cause as much chaos as they could "Here Sakura" Shino passed a vial of murky yellow liquid to Sakura.

Who took it while poisonous bugs dropped from the tree's onto the genin below, screams echoed in their ears of terror and fright until all was silent "Give me a few minutes, Sasuke use a tempered flame to heat this up for me, Shino you go see what scroll they have" Sakura instructed.

Focusing intently on her work, then when she was done, dripped the antidote over the poison to see if her concoction would work, Shino returned, shaking his head "Earth scroll same as us" the Aburame Heir frowned pocketing the scroll as he did so.

"That's okay Shino-kun, there are other teams to choose from, right Sasuke you go tie them up and administer to the antidote" the pinkette pat his arm gently before turning to Sasuke with three syringes, hypodermic needles attached.

He took them and leaped to the ground again, tying up the other genin first before giving them the antidote, five minutes later he was back and they were off on the search for another team to snag a scroll from hopefully it would be the matching one to their earth scroll next time.

Jumping from tree branch to tree branch at a break-neck pace as they were Team Seven was completely unprepared and unaware of the danger that was about to befall them as a blast of wind swept them off their feet.

Instantly separating the three of them, Sakura wasn't sure how long she was out when she came to after slamming face first into a tree but she was on her feet in three seconds flat "Situation report Shiruki-chan, what's the status on Shino and Sasuke" Sakura demanded to know.

Shiruki was quick to relay the information her summoner wanted to know "As of right now Shino-san is unconscious that way, Sasuke-san is in the most danger though, that Grass Genin from earlier is fighting him" Shiruki piped in, in a small voice.

"Damn this is not looking good and it's only been a couple of hours that we've been let loose in the forest…first order of business, go find Shino-kun and pull him to safety until he wakes, then come find me, I'm heading for Sasuke" the rosette instructed.

Creating a clone to send off and defend Shino while spinning her heel and concentrating on Sasuke's chakra body flickered knowing the Uchiha was probably in need of more assistance than Shino currently was being unconscious as he was.

What she found upon body flickering to the aide of her teammate terrified her, Sasuke was backed in a corner fending off his attacker with his new tantou "Oh what's this one of the mice came to your rescue Sasuke-kun" the grass kunoichi laughed in spine shuddering way.

"How's Shino and what's the plan to get away Sakura" Sasuke was glad that she was there, he was still in a sticky situation for sure, but at least he wasn't alone, Sakura glared at his attacker for a moment then nodded.

Kafu whispered in his ears the plan that was decided on "Such a feisty little kunoichi aren't you" the grass kunoichi hissed when Sakura made her move, drawing the woman's gaze from him, he was quick to pull out ninja wire.

Glad he had it in abundance "Don't forget me you crazy ass woman" the Uchiha snarled manipulating the wire with chakra and deadly precision to wrap around the woman, then speed through a set of hand signs for one of his lightning based jutsu's.

"Water Style: Raging Waves" Sakura yelled distracting the woman yet again, soaking the opponent with a powerful wave of water just as a stream of lightning was conducted through the wire, Sasuke released his grip and body flickered safely out of the way.

"Totally awesome Sakura, let's go find Shino" Sasuke panted not sparing a glance back as they ran trying to find the other member of their team a crazy lunatic hot on their heels, they ran hard until they nearly slammed into Shino.

Who looked the most frantic they'd ever seen him "Do either of you want to tell me what the hell is going on why because a snake tried to eat me earlier" Shino snapped scowling thunderously before realizing that his teammates had a problem all their own.

In the form of the grass kunoichi they'd vowed to stay away from before the start of their second round "Three point violet sealing barrier now Shino-kun" the rosette on the team ordered harshly whipping out the tag with the formula to Shino's barrier on it.

Before throwing it down "Good idea, might slow her down enough, we can use the chakra suppression and sound proofing tags to escape underground" the raven panted doing the same, chancing a glance to see how much time they had.

Tree's were falling over indicating that they were running low just as they flashed through a set of hand signs in sync "Three Point Violet Sealing Barrier" the brunet of Team Seven murmured as a violet dome surrounded them.

Sakura tossed down a smoke bomb obscuring the grass kunoichi's vision of them when she arrived seconds after the barrier went up chakra suppression/scent/sound proofing tags were activated and the three of them escaped safely underground.

Just as a large explosion ricocheted the area above them, telling them the barrier had been destroyed cursing sounded right over their heads "Maybe it would have been more prudent to body flicker instead of hide underground, why because this is risky" Shino grimaced.

"Perhaps Shino-kun but this was a split second plan remember, we didn't have much time to really concentrate on an area away from here to body flicker" Sakura reminded gently squeezing their hands tightly and heart pounding against her ribs in fear they would be found anyway.

Eventually the three of them felt the chakra of the grass kunoichi moving away from them slowly before all together vanishing in the opposite direction until they couldn't feel it anymore "I vote to keep these tags activated" Sasuke said.

When they were stood on solid ground again a couple minutes later, covered in dirt and sweat, the other members on his team nodded solemnly in agreement "We should move just in case that crazy decides to come back" the pinkette pointed out.

Ushering the three of them in the opposite direction the older kunoichi had headed, Shino paused briefly though to collect his mostly unscathed barrier tags "Come to think of it, why was she after you in the first place Sasuke" the brunet frowned as they carefully took to the tree's again.

Sasuke paled "No idea but she mentioned something about my sharingan and if I'm not mistaken the crazy tried to bite me on the neck to" the raven shuddered seriously freaked out by what had happened not to long ago.

Thankful that Sakura had come along when she had to help him out of that sticky situation "I for one am glad we had a whole month to establish superb teamwork with each other and come up with a working communication system between us without communicators" Shino added.

Looking to Ashi who waved one of his legs at him in greeting, the tiny spiders were easy to forget about and go nearly unnoticed by someone unless they already knew about them, Shisui had chosen the right summons for Sakura it seemed.

"Of course Shino-kun we're glad to, anyway we should make a pit stop and eat something or go if we have to, then try to seek out another team to snag a heaven scroll hopefully" Sakura announced considering them far enough away from that freaky grass kunoichi.

It brought attention to their suddenly rumbling guts "Right, so what did you bring besides food pills Sakura" Sasuke asked as they leaped to the ground and set up traps, even raising Shino's barrier for a little bit of extra protection.

She smiled and dug through her pack for her food and water supply scrolls, unsealing the contents from within when she found the necessary scrolls "Beans, sardines, crackers, some nuts, beef jerky, and a few fruit cups" the rosette listed.

Pouring water into some canteens and passing out the food "Guess I'll take some crackers and sardines, along with a fruit cup, why to replenish my chakra some after fighting that snake" the brunet on the team made his selections.

Those were quickly handed over to him "I'll take the can of beans so I'll need the can opener, plus a couple pieces of beef jerky" the raven decided leaving the rest to Sakura as they ate quickly until they felt moderately full.

All their trash was sealed in a scroll to leave no evidence of them being their behind, the barrier was deactivated and then they took to the tree's again on the hunt for a team of weaker genin now that they felt it safe enough to do so.

No one would want to go tromping about in the forest of death at night after all as what little sunlight that filtered through the tree's faded leaving all consuming darkness in their wakes as they stumbled upon an already knocked out team, snoozing the evening away.

Sakura shook her head disgusted at their lack of traps "Shibi-sensei would strangle us if we were that lax on our protection" Sakura scoffed horrified at other genin's idiocy, however she did also consider that it might be a trap to lure them into a false sense of security.

That's why she sent Shiruki ahead to bite them, screams echoed around them as the all male genin team woke up at the venom suddenly coursing through their veins before passing out for real this time "Heaven scroll" Sasuke returned in the next moment.

Brandishing their earth scroll's pair before it was placed in Sakura's storage pouch "Now we head for the tower" Shino breathed a little easier all that was left was to reach the tower and they'd be home free from this creepy ass forest.

He got the feeling though that things wouldn't be that easy for them, because two of his teammates were magnets for trouble after all, it was hours later with no understanding of what time it was that Team Seven made another stop and set up camp.

Raising the violet barrier and placing many traps or illusion genjutsu's to hide the barrier from sight as they found a little niche under some gigantic tree roots, eating a cold meal or cleaning up in the stream that was a short distance away from them before going to bed, setting alarms in case.

When they woke up the following morning, their second day in the forest and ate, Shino, Sasuke and Sakura were unaware of the trouble they were about to face as they cleaned up making sure no evidence was left behind and started taking down their traps.

Crawling out the niche they slept in and came face to face with the genin from the Hidden Sound Village as they'd learned from their first proctor Ibiki "Be good little brats and hand Sasuke Uchiha over to us, we're under orders to kill him from Orochimaru" the one wrapped up like a mummy ordered.

"Orochimaru as in the Sannin Orochimaru, why would he want Sasuke dead" the rosette frowned edging into a defensive stance glad that she'd had Shiruki add her venom to the spikes in her hair again that morning.

It would make for one nasty surprise if the Sound Genin were stupid enough to grab her hair "Can't tell you just hand him over before we get angry" the spiky haired genin demanded snapping his fingers in order to make them hurry up.

"Yeah I don't think so, why because we have no intention of handing Sasuke over even at your say so" the Aburame Heir shifted prepared to defend his teammates to the death like they would do the same for him no doubt.

The lone girl grit her teeth "Your funeral then, we were going to let you other one's go but not now we'll just have to kill all of you" the kunoichi from sound announced in a flippant tone of voice and the clearing was wrought with chaos.

Kikaichu swarmed from Shino, blocking their vision in a simple diversion tactic, siphoning off some of their chakra as well "Any good idea's Sakura, cause I don't fancy dying today or any other day actually" the raven of Team Seven questioned.

As they body flickered to safety leaving behind some clones for another diversion tactic still under the chakra/scent suppression/sound proofing tags, if they wanted they could just run without the Sound Genin ever figuring out where they'd gone but that wasn't appealing.

"Lock them up in Shino's three point violet sealing barrier, then we'll turn tail and run" Sakura smirked feeling vindictive towards the other genin who'd threatened Sasuke's life on another person's say so it was something they'd have to tell Shibi whenever they could.

Orochimaru running around was not good especially with his background of kidnapping people and experimenting on them "Perfect should they manage to break the barrier the explosion will rebound on them" Sasuke smirked unworried.

With that as they'd practiced for two solid weeks once the clones had been taken out, they dropped from the tree's in a triangle formation and lay down the actual scrolls with the barrier's formula on them, flashing through a set of hand signs in sync.

Before the Sound Genin could stop them the hand signs were completed "Three Point Violet Sealing Barrier Jutsu" Shino called out and a glowing violet barrier raised over their heads trapping them in close proximity of each other.

"Damn little brats when we get out of here your dead do you hear me, all of you are dead" the spiky haired one started screaming profanity and threats at them banging on the barrier with brutal force though it wasn't enough to break it yet.

Not that they were going to stick around and watch anyway, well maybe "Use your jutsu Zaku that will take care of this pathetic barrier easily" the bandage wrapped genin suggested and the one named Zaku started smiling crazily as he flashed through hand signs.

It was then that Team Seven decided to skedaddle "Cowards when we….huh…ahhhhhhhhhh" the sound kunoichi noticed the crack her teammate had made in the barrier, smirking briefly only to start screaming as they were blasted off their feet.

Slamming into tree's with enough force to knock all of them out, the members of Team Seven grinned in triumph at each other having watched the explosion from high in the tree's before taking off at a break-neck speed.

Eventually though they couldn't ignore their rumbling stomachs any longer hours later when they thought it was noon or probably past noon and so made a quick pit stop to eat "Oh I think I hear nature calling" the Uchiha grimaced.

Vanishing into the brush to take care of business "Guess that's better than saying he has to go" the pinkette giggled pulling out her food and water supply scrolls to start rationing out the food again so they could eat lunch.

Shino shook his head in light amusement reaching for the soft tortilla shells, shredded cheese and can of beans to make a couple of burrito's only to pause as someone burst out of the brush that wasn't Sasuke and leap to his feet brandishing a kunai.

Ready to defend and Sakura joined him in the next moment "Whoa, whoa, whoa hold up there it's me Kabuto remember, I got separated from my teammates then I heard you talking" the gray haired teenager held up his hands giving them an easy going smile.

The sound of his stomach rumbling loudly filled their ears "You should never approach another team even if your hungry right now we are suppose to be enemies remember fighting to collect a pair of scrolls" the brunet pointed out shifting into a more solid stance.

Just then Sasuke decided to return only to go rigid and take up a defensive stance like his teammates, things going swiftly downhill for him "Relax I'm not after your scrolls, I already have both of mine after all, I'm just a little lost truthfully" Kabuto laughed sheepishly.

Playing the innocent act and hoping the genin were gullible, the members of Team Seven shared looks with one another "Fine you can eat with us, any funny business though and we'll blow you to bits or worse, then we'll go our separate ways" Sakura warned.

Flopping down and pulling out even more food to ration around completely on edge as Kabuto joined them keeping up that fake easy going smile, did he think they were stupid or something, she could spot a lie from a mile away now.

But she was unable to stop herself from being kind and allowing the older teenager into their group for lunch "So how did you get separated from your teammates anyway" Sasuke questioned onyx orbs narrowed on Kabuto.

Who was taking a sip of water that Sakura handed to him "Ah had a run-in with a crazy grass kunoichi by the time I realized it we had been separated, I'm sure their fine but still she was one crazy kunoichi I'll tell ya" he laughed awkwardly again.

Keeping up the appearance what he didn't expect was for the kids to go rigid and edge away from him "And do tell how you managed to get away from her, why because we also had a run-in with a kunoichi from grass, whether it's the same one you encountered we don't know" Shino asked.

Now he understood Orochimaru had already made his move and these Leaf Genin had managed to give his master the slip somehow "Hmm I think we were just lucky is all, how did you get away from her" Kabuto inquired.

Wanting to get some information from the genin on their abilities "Not going there Kabuto-san, we're allowing you to eat with us but if you think we're giving away any information about us pertaining our abilities then think again" the second to last remaining Uchiha snorted.

Becoming tight-lipped "Sasuke's right, a ninja must always have the upper hand after all" the rosette on the team nodded siding with her teammates in the next moment as even Shino agreed with not giving away information on their skills.

"Understandable I suppose, no one wants anyone to know what they can do in a fight after all" the gray haired teenager forced himself to smile, while wanting to scowl in frustration at how secretive the brats were.

They were also highly wary of him to which put a major damper in his plans to get them to trust him "Indeed why because one must have the element of surprise" the Aburame Heir commented making his third burrito.

Eventually the genin got done eating and cleaned up after themselves, putting things away and shouldering their packs again when they were finished "Here's where we part ways Kabuto-san" Sakura narrowed her eyes on the older teenager.

Daring him to complain about being lost, if he even mentioned sticking around to follow them she was going to have Shiruki bite him and for a second there she swore his obsidian orbs glinted with frustration before they closed and he pasted an easy going fake smile on his face again.

Nodding in understanding "Right hopefully we'll meet again at the tower" Kabuto turned and leapt away expression growing thunderous at how hard it was to acquire trust from the genin, it was absolutely ridiculous how wary they'd been of him.

While they turned and headed in the opposite direction of him "Glad he's gone that smile was so fake" Sasuke scowled glaring angrily over his shoulder as they sped off in hopes of getting far, far away from the older genin.

There was something he didn't like about the guy without any explanation as to what that reason was "Agreed why because it seemed like he had ulterior motives for approaching us initially" Shino announced having felt that way from the beginning.

Especially with Kabuto's repeated attempts at getting them to talk about what they could do ability or skill wise that had been a big red flag in his mind at least, Sakura shook her head and with that they allowed silence to settle around them.

For awhile they concentrated on jumping from tree to tree at high speeds in hopes of reaching the tower in the center of this forest when Shiruki spoke up in alarm "Sakura-sama, Naruto-san is in danger of that kunoichi from grass, his teammates are unconscious" Shiruki announced.

Informing her summoner of what Irome had relayed to her, Team Seven came to a jarring halt at that Sasuke nearly falling from the branch he stopped on in horror "Which way Shiruki" the raven haired preteen inquired.

"That way" the pinkette pointed, even if that meant diving head first into danger or having another scuffle with that crazy kunoichi, she would rescue Naruto, Kiba and Hinata at the cost of her own life, Sasuke and Shino seemed to get that.

As they turned and flashed in the direction she'd pointed going at a break-neck speed "I feel them now" the brunet felt Naruto's chakra flickering in distress as they grew closer, while Hinata and Kiba's chakra indicating they were unconscious.

It was a dangerous situation they were heading into but he knew that they couldn't leave Team Eight to fend for themselves against that crazy grass kunoichi from yesterday and a couple minutes later they arrived on scene.

"OI YOU CRAZY BITCH LEAVE NARUTO ALONE" Sakura yelled charging and leaping into a high kick, the older girl turned and got a foot in the face, as Sakura body flickered at the last second mid-air so that her attack couldn't be read fully.

Naruto fell on his ass when Sakura appeared in front of him, sending his attacker flying off into the tree's with her chakra enhanced kick "My what a kick the little mouse has" not that it kept the woman down very long a couple seconds really.

Just long enough to pull Naruto out of the way "You okay Dope" Sasuke asked hands glowing green healing the injuries the knucklehead Uzumaki had sustained while Shino used his kikaichu to bring the unconscious Kiba and Hinata to safety as well.

So that he could heal them to "Fine I'm more worried about those two, a huge snake ate Kiba, he passed out from the smell and that crazy lady hurt Hinata-chan" Naruto sniffled emotional, but glad that they were there to help him out.

"Take care of them Sasuke, I'm going off to help Sakura" Shino said finished with his task of getting the other members of Team Eight out of the way, vanishing in a swirl of kikaichu in the next moment brandishing two tags attached to kunai in his hands.

A wave of kikaichu distracted their attacker for a second as he tossed the tags "Two point cyan barrier wall jutsu" the Aburame Heir flashed through a set of hand signs to a new barrier formula that he'd come up with while working on the three point violet barrier.

Kikaichu dispersed as the grass kunoichi ran face first into the barrier, sporting a very irritated expression "Ground yourself with chakra Shino" the pinkette ordered in the next moment as the cyan barrier was cracked.

Followed by an explosion they didn't come out completely unscathed as the duo body flickered before the blast died down feeling Kiba, Naruto and Hinata's chakra disappear that signaled their departure from the clearing.

Tracking the retreating Sasuke and Naruto who were dragging the unconscious Kiba and Hinata along with them at the same time until they met up half a mile away, the grass kunoichi was no doubt hot on their tail.

So that's why Shino pulled out the scrolls for his violet sealing barrier once they found a niche to hide in under some giant tree roots, hiding that behind an illusion genjutsu "Holy crap you guys are crazy" the blonde whispered.

Latching on to Sakura as the grass kunoichi's chakra flew by unaware of their location "Not as crazy as that person, but still I'm glad we got away mostly unscathed this time" the Uchiha commented plopping down.

He was quickly joined by Naruto and the scorched duo with burnt clothes and first degree burns "Gonna murder whoever thought it was a great idea to have a snake eat me" Kiba was the first to wake from his impromptu nap.

Sitting up slowly trying to get his bearings only to tense as he realized more than his teammates surrounded him "Relax Kiba, Sasuke-teme, Shino and Sakura-chan came to rescue us from that crazy snake lady" Naruto explained.

Kiba blinked in confusion before his brain caught up with his body "Oh I see well thanks I guess we can call a temporary truce for now" the Inuzuka heir frowned adding the second part as an after thought seeing as how they were supposed to be enemies right now.

And not friends, this whole Chunin Exams was turning out to be quite different than they'd all imagined it to be, but for the next hour and a half they were quiet contemplating the situation until Hinata let out a soft groan.

Waking up finally after being unconscious for two hours "N..Naruto-kun look out" Hinata sat up with a jerk, pale lavender eyes flying around in fright only to rapidly calm down as she spotted her crush unharmed and the members of Team Seven next to him.

"W..What ha..happened" the blue haired heiress frowned in confusion the last to wake up so she didn't know the full scope of the situation but she did note that her injuries were healed from her fight with that older kunoichi.

Naruto blew out a sigh of relief "These guys came to help us and that crazy snake lady ran off in that direction I think" the blonde said for Hinata's sake, pointing where he last felt the grass kunoichi's chakra going.

"Th..Thank you f..for helping us S..Sakura-chan, Sh..Shino-kun, S..Sasuke-kun I..I'm sure if you hadn't c..come along th..that person w..would have killed us" Hinata stuttered out a thanks just glad that she wasn't dead.

Also relieved that her teammates were okay to after that horrible person had attacked them for no reason, she hadn't even wanted their scroll "I'm going to go change and scope out our surroundings" Sakura stood, eager to get out of her ruined clothes.

Maybe she should have summoned Mibojin to increase their clothing's durability again that settled it when she got back she was summoning the leader of her summons to upgrade their clothes "And I'll go with her why because four eyes are better than two" Shino announced.

Rising to his feet, while opening a small hole in his barrier for them to escape through temporarily, they had to really struggle and he knew he would have to work on manipulating his barrier once it had been brought up.

"Can you tell us what exactly you guys did to get us away from that woman" Kiba set his gaze on Sasuke, who was rifling through his pack, though at the question Sasuke looked up, sporting a very disgruntled frown on his face.

Before abandoning his search for a moment "Sakura kicked her in the face, then Shino set up a barrier that exploded allowing us to escape" Sasuke admitted, only that much sure because he didn't want to give away all their tricks after all.

Kiba nodded in acceptance "Yeah it was totally awesome when that snake lady went flying" Naruto sniggered thinking back to that moment and fought to keep himself from bursting into obnoxious laughter as he imagined it all over again.

Five minutes later Shino and Sakura entered the barrier again, wearing clean clothes "How did you get burned" Hinata remembered the burns she'd seen on their skin which was now missing from their flesh.

"Oh that, we were caught up in the blast from Shino's barrier, no worries though it was first degree and easily healed, anyway I think it's best we camp out here for the night then set out in the morning" the rosette assured before turning serious.

The members of Team Eight frowned "It's a good idea and all Sakura-chan but we still have to get an earth scroll there's only three and a half days left now as well" the blonde of the team sighed wishing the survival round was over already probably.

Sakura immediately turned to Sasuke who nodded then they looked to Shino, who pulled out the extra earth scroll they had "There that solves that issue and I don't feel guilty giving it to you three" the Aburame heir handed the earth scroll over to Team Eight.

Who stared at it in surprise "Guess we're all set then, want to tell me how you came by that or is it actually yours and you guys are being way to nice" the Inuzuka heir questioned stuffing the scroll in his storage pouch while Hinata carried their heaven scroll.

"Nope it's definitely not ours believe me, we snagged it from the first team we targeted, before we ran into that crazy lady from earlier on our first day, Shino decided to keep it and I'm glad he did" the next to last Uchiha shrugged.

Seeing no harm in admitting that much again "E..Either way th..thank you very much Shino-kun, S..Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun" the blue haired heiress piped in relaxing now that she could knowing they were safe for the time being.

They each nodded before Sasuke resumed his search of his pack pulling out what he'd been looking for earlier, his food and water supply scrolls, where he unsealed some nonperishable food items to ration around so they could eat a later dinner.

Before the lot of them curled up in their sleeping bags, near cuddling with one another to ward off the chilly night air in the forest they were in, the next morning when the six genin woke up Sakura summoned the largest spider Kiba and Hinata had ever seen.

And had the spider weave his silk into their clothes for extra protection and durability while they ate they also poured over the map she'd bought trying to figure out exactly how far away they were from the tower after two days of running around trying to collect a pair of scrolls.

It was decided that they had less than four miles to go as the map was put away and the six of them ate a hasty breakfast before packing up leaving behind no evidence of their presence there "Beware of that Kabuto guy from the first round" Sasuke warned.

When they were preparing to split up, who knows who was watching after all, but they would be keeping relatively close to each other just in case of another attack while they trekked the last four miles to the tower.

"Okay I'm not even going to ask why, didn't like his scent anyway innit that right Akamaru" Kiba grunted shouldering his pack, Akamaru let out a yip of agreement at his companions question as they started on their way.

To hopefully reach the tower and get out of this blasted creepy forest that was literally trying to kill them "S..See you a..at the tower" Hinata waved watching Team Seven speed ahead of them, earning a wave back.

Plus a "Be careful" over Sakura's shoulder before the trio of close friends were out of sight, Hinata sighed and gestured for them to do the same, taking off at a break-neck speed through the tree tops because that was the fastest way right now.

"Kami I can't wait for this nightmare round to be over" Naruto shuddered as they swerved around a gigantic centipede that tried to attack them but they were going so fast that they managed to evade the insect, his two teammates couldn't help but nod in agreement.

~Meanwhile~

Four miles later the lot of them met up in front of the tower again "Guess we'll see you inside, why because we've managed our goal for the second round" Shino piped in as they found doors with their team numbers on them and disappeared into the tower.

Sasuke wanted to throw something the minute they got inside only for the three of them to be faced with yet another task "What the hell I don't understand anything anymore" the Uchiha groaned completely fed up with this sham of an exam.

"Calm down Sasuke, why all we have to do is figure out the riddle hopefully" the brunet said not looking to happy himself but reigning in his frustration better than they could sometimes, proving yet again why he was the calmest between the three of them.

When even Sakura looked ready to rip her hair out itching to no doubt as her fingers twitched but they dutifully went over to the chalkboard to read the riddle "Earthen qualities, heaven, train your mind, when heaven and earth are formed together, this something shows us the path" the pinkette read.

Jumbling the riddle together where not even her teammates could understand what she was saying making them read it as well when she just muttered to herself quietly, gears in her brain going at full force.

Until it was like a light bulb went off but she waited patiently for the boys to figure it out as well "You think it's telling us to open the scrolls now, our crazy proctor did say that we weren't allowed to until we reached the tower after all" Sasuke questioned.

Pulling out the pair of scrolls they'd had to collect in the forest "Probably but I don't quite understand the reason, why because we weren't told" Shino added watching warily as the scrolls were unraveled and lay down side by side.

Nothing, absolutely nothing happened and now they were stumped yet again on what to do "Hmm" the fuscia haired preteen hummed scanning the contents of the scroll "Aha I got it" Sakura grinned realizing what they'd done wrong.

Then arranged the scrolls to form an X completing the formula to the summoning seal, in a giant poof of smoke their sensei was before them "I must say I am rather proud of you three for making it through this forest in only two days" Shibi greeted.

Eyeing his students carefully but he didn't see any reason to be alarmed until Sakura opened her mouth "Um Shibi-sensei, the Sound Genin participating in the exam is working for Orochimaru, they said so themselves not only that but Orochimaru wants Sasuke dead" the pinkette burst out.

"Well that's cause for alarm, Hokage-sama will be informed rest assured Sakura, now go on through that door okay and rest up" the Aburame Patriarch gestured his students through the door so they could rest easy the next few days.

His son nodding to him as he passed by "Indeed we will why because after the last couple of days I think we've earned it" the brunet huffed clearly unnerved by what they'd been put through in the forest for their Chunin Exams.

"See you sensei" the raven called as the door shut and the three of them met up with Team Eight on the other side, found their way to the cafeteria that was in the tower, ate a warm dinner, took showers, dressed in clean clothes and then found somewhere to sleep to catch up on some Z's.


	22. Preliminary Rounds & a Month of Training

The next couple of days at the tower proved very uneventful as Team's Seven and Eight lounged around doing absolutely nothing, being lazy to their fullest extents really, ignoring those that arrived as they were wrapped up in their own worlds during that time frame.

Until they were all gathered together again "Congratulations on making it through the second round all of you that are here today I applaud you for displaying great skills to make this possible, however due to the rather large amount of you still left a preliminary round will be held to decide on final round contestants" Hiruzen clapped.

Before explaining the decision that had been made, several of the genin began complaining "Of course if you don't feel up to it, you can opt out of the preliminary round" the Hokage announced knowing that some would be tired or out of chakra.

Not the batch of rookies though, six of them seemed to be in high spirits and full up on chakra and energy, while the other three were in slightly better shape than most of the other genin surrounding them.

"Right those not participating in the preliminary rounds please head to the second floor on the right please, those participating to the left, I'm your proctor for the preliminary round Hayate Gekkou" a brunet coughed into his hand.

Instructing them on where to go as they decided on whether or not they wanted to participate "Kakashi-sensei what are you doing here" Naruto was surprised to see his sensei the moment they got to the second floor of the arena like room they were in.

Many genin moving to the right side while he was on the left with his teammates and friends from his academy days "As your sensei it's my right to be here and cheer you on Naruto-kun" Kakashi chuckled, holding up that blasted orange book that made him want to burn it sometimes.

At least he got an answer though turning to listen to their new proctor as he explained the rules of the preliminary rounds to them "Basically it's a fight, nothing is out of bounds, and killing isn't prohibited, I can also step in if I think neither of you can go on" Hayate told them.

Then pointed at an electronic match board that started filtering names for the first match "Great why did it have to be me" Sasuke groaned realizing he was up first when his name appeared on the board, along with a name he didn't recognize.

So he was at a disadvantage to not knowing what his opponent could do skill wise, "Whoohoo go Sasuke kick that guys ass" Ino cheered as he grudgingly started down the steps, Sasuke grimaced and ducked his head feeling the glares directed at him.

Courtesy of Ino, she even kept cheering when he was stood across from his opponent "Ino that's enough, Sasuke needs to be able to concentrate on his fight" Sakura scolded less than a second later and Ino's catcalls swiftly ended.

Blushing madly in embarrassment as she realized that she was getting a lot of attention to her sensei's amusement, Hayate coughed "Let the first fight begin" he jumped back out of the way starting the fight.

All genin focused on Sasuke immediately to see how his match would go "Odd, I could have swore that guy just stole some of Sasuke's chakra" Shino muttered a couple minutes into Sasuke's fight behind him Shibi straightened.

Focusing his senses on his student and found his son correct, Sasuke had indeed lost some of his chakra, however that could be contributed to the fact Sasuke was wielding his sharingan, which drained it's wielder of chakra as well.

That was his initial thought until it happened again, "Your right Shino-kun, that guy is stealing Sasuke's chakra somehow" the rosette he was in charge of nodded agreeing with Shino her betrothed not that either child knew it yet.

Because he didn't want it getting in the way of the exams, eventually though Sasuke performed a pretty good taijutsu maneuver that knocked his opponent unconscious "Lion's Barrage" he'd named it kicking his opponent to the arena floor.

Emerging victorious from his match "Nice Teme I can only hope I'll be as awesome as you during my match" Naruto grinned when Sasuke returned to the second floor to stand with them, Sasuke smirked as his ego was stroked.

Until Sakura snorted "Either way that was an excellent match, I'm sure Mikoto and Fugaku would be proud of you" Shibi praised proud of one of his students so far during the preliminary rounds, only because the other two hadn't gone yet.

"Thanks Sensei and that makes me glad to know" the Uchiha rubbed his nose grinning from ear to ear, happy and content with how his life had turned out after the massacre, not that he wasn't still a little sad that he and his brother were all that remained of course, but he was happy nonetheless.

"My turn I see" the Aburame Heir said as his name popped up on the electronic match board, Sakura pat his arm as he walked by on his way down to the arena to face off against Zaku Abumi, he was a little surprised to find out that it was the spiky haired genin from Sound.

When the teenager stood across from him a second later before their proctor, "Boy am I glad your my opponent now I can kick your ass for what you did to us in the forest of death" Zaku snarled clearly pissed off for what had happened in the forest.

Shino merely lifted a brow waiting for Hayate to start the match "Shino's gonna end it quick I can tell" Sasuke commented from above watching Shino who stood there eerily silent and letting Zaku throw insults at him right and left.

Firing off jutsu's at the same time with the same amount of speed "Right, because it's Shino-kun, holy is he doing what I think he's doing" Sakura snickered at first before her expression morphed int one of horror.

Peering at Zaku who was still screaming profanities at Shino, running low on chakra and taking a quick break, Shibi also seemed aware of what his son was doing and closed his eyes when Zaku fired off another jutsu.

Only to have it rebound on him and tear his arms to shred, Shino hadn't had to do anything but stand there the whole fight, dodge a few jutsu's and keep quiet, his opponent had done all the work "Winner of the Second match Shino Aburame" Hayate called it.

As Zaku dropped unconscious from the amount of pain he was currently in no doubt, Shino nodded and returned to the stand's "Very nicely done son" his father praised as he had done for Sasuke when he was stood next to Sakura again.

"Indeed why because I already knew some of what my opponent could do" Shino stated simply, turning to eye the board as it started up again only to land on one familiar and one unfamiliar name, Kankuro from Hidden Sand and a Hidden Leaf Genin they didn't know.

The fight was interesting to say the least as Kankuro's opponent was able to somehow turn his body into a rubber like substance to wrap around Kankuro, strangling him until it turned out that Kankuro had been a puppet all along and the real Kankuro was hidden beneath bandage wraps.

Becoming the victor of his match and the third person to advance to the final rounds, followed by a match between Ino and Shikamaru of all people, with the Nara heir winning the fight against his teammate, then Naruto and Kiba got a horrendous match up with one another.

Naruto whining and complaining the entire time luring Kiba into a false sense of security because he thought he would have the fight in the bag only to be on the loosing end as Naruto pulled off a win against him somehow.

That was five so far through to the final round and several of the genin were getting antsy standing around waiting for their matches so Hayate called a thirty minute break, Sakura blew out a breath and slid into a sitting position against the wall.

"When do you think it will be your turn and who do you think you'll have to fight Sakura" Ino questioned looking worried and a little beat up, Shikamaru had definitely put her through the ringer it seemed and she called healing chakra into her hands.

Until Ino waved her off "No idea Ino chances are it will be completely random" Sakura shrugged lightly, gaze flickering to her shoulder then up and Shiruki scurried to her hair, adding her venom to the spikes again because she had an uncanny feeling her turn would be soon.

And oh how right she was when the thirty minute break ended and her name appeared on that board, alongside the kunoichi from Hidden Sound "Lucky me" Kin Tsuchi as her name had been revealed on the board smirked.

Glad to have a chance to beat that smile right off the pink haired kunoichi's face for what she'd done in the forest to them "Would you please start the fight Hayate-sensei" the pinkette asked kindly, running through several scenario's in her mind as she waited.

He nodded "Let the sixth match begin" the brunet coughed jumping back, Kin started slinging senbon needles at Sakura, who narrowly dodged each one, keen emerald eyes honing in on the bells that were attached to some of the weapons being thrown.

'Must be sound based genjutsu' she thought throwing down a smoke bomb to obscure Kin's vision of her, plugging her ears with some ear-plugs, she'd only just done got shoving the uncomfortable plugs in her ears when Kin charged through the smoke at her.

Quickly to avoid getting hit she back-flipped and threw her own weapons with deadly accuracy, a needle hit in the brachioradialis and the kneecap, Kin winced yanking the throwing weapons from her flesh, fighting down a yelp of pain because that hurt.

Then focused her attention on fighting her opponent who'd managed to somehow get behind her while she was distracted "Fool, rule number one during a fight never take your eyes off your opponent" Sakura scolded.

Slamming two fingers into the older girl's shoulder, this time Kin wasn't able to help it as she let out a scream before she found herself being kicked in the back to land face first on the arena floor "Bitch are you fucking crazy that could have killed me" Kin shouted.

Jumping to her feet and charging again, Sakura shook her head "Maybe, maybe not you'll never know" the pinkette taunted riling her opponent up into a fury while above Shino and Sasuke shook their heads realizing what she was doing.

Basic baiting tactic that blinded Kin from all else except her "When I get my hands on you, your going to regret mocking me stupid bitch" the ravenette yelled angrily, going faster than Sakura had thought possible.

And finally, finally getting her hands on the other girl, wincing at the spikes in Sakura's hair "Idiot I was going to end this peacefully" Sakura scoffed taking the ear plugs out of her ears as Kin let go instantly in the next moment screaming in agony.

While clutching her stomach before vomiting all over the floor as venom coursed through her veins "B..But how I didn't see any poison on those weapons" Kin gasped barely conscious now, though she would still live the venom was excruciating.

"Hair spikes, a type of venom that's all I'll tell you, you have your whole life ahead of you Kin-san, don't let a sick bastard like Orochimaru control you" Sakura knelt whispering in the girl's ear before her eyes drooped in unconsciousness.

Utter silence met her ears as Hayate coughed "Winner of the sixth match Sakura Haruno" Hayate called it in the next moment and Sakura smiled briefly at him on her way back up to the stands, being enveloped in a bone crushing hug by the goofy blonde that nobody expected to win.

Followed by claps on the back from her teammates who'd also won their matches it seemed the whole of team seven was absolutely brutal against their opponents, the matches continued on after that other genin proving to be just as brutal against each other as Team Seven had been.

Some kid by the name of Lee was crushed by sand by Gaara, Hinata lost her match against her cousin Neji, Naruto wasn't very happy about that a girl named Tenten lost against Temari, putting all three Sand Genin through the final match against Choji and Dosu, the Sound Genin won.

With that the preliminary rounds were over "Okay you lot time to draw lots to see how the final round match up will be" their proctor cleared his throat drawing the genin's attention once all ten of them were stood before him.

Making them draw numbers and read them off to him, Neji got number one, Naruto number two and he was ecstatic because he wanted to avenge Hinata for what Neji had done to her, Shino number three, Kankuro four, Shikamaru five, Temari six, Sakura seven, Dosu eight, Sasuke nine, and Gaara number ten.

"Best of luck to you all, take this month to train and improve where you need it that is all dismissed and we'll see you all in a month for the final rounds" Hayate dismissed them for the next month, then their sensei's body flickered them from the tower.

Out into the village again after a rough five days Shibi cleared his throats before his students could wander off "I'd like to inform you of your sensei's for the next month if you each would stay for a moment longer" Shibi announced.

His students swung around instantly at that and he was pleased they were still so obedient after all this time "For Sasuke, Kakashi-san has offered to train you, these days, Shino you'll be with me of course and Sakura, I managed to get Kurenai Yuhi to agree to train you" the Aburame Patriarch rattled off.

Passing out the schedules to the two students that didn't live with him "Roger that Shibi-sensei, I promise we'll train super hard this month and make you proud by becoming Chunin" the rosette saluted with a bright smile pasted on her lips.

"Exactly, we'll make those judges so impressed they'll have no choice but to promote us" the raven haired preteen smirked leading Sakura away so they could actually sleep in their own beds again after five days of hell.

Shino watched them go from behind his sunglasses "Let's go home Father" the brunet sighed exhausted and ready to rest, he didn't think things would be that easy though and he was right because the moment they got home his Father started their first training session for the month.

While Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto got to relax "Did you manage to make it to the Final Round dears" Mebuki asked when the kids were flopped down on the floor around the low sitting table that was situated in the living room for them.

"Yeah, Sasuke and Sakura-chan were kick ass believe it" the blue eyed blonde yawned tiredly before smiling sheepishly in the next moment, not that Mebuki blamed him any, as it were Sasuke and Sakura were practically already passed out from how exhausted they actually were.

She stared at them in sympathy "I'll go get the blankets" Kizashi nodded when his wife turned her emerald orbs on him, he was gone for a couple of minutes and was back carrying three blankets, Naruto climbed onto the couch gratefully and was out a moment later.

As Sasuke and Sakura slept hunched over the table the older Haruno's eyeing them fondly until they decided to call it an early night without supper and go to bed as well, leaving the children to their much needed rest.

~Next Morning~

The genin were much more energetic as they raced off to meet their assigned sensei's for the month of training they'd been designated "Ah it's nice to meet you Sakura-san, I'm Kurenai Yuhi" Kurenai greeted when the pink haired girl wandered onto the training field.

"Kurenai-sensei thank you very much for agreeing to train me, I'm Sakura Haruno" Sakura bowed becoming as polite as she was known to be in the Jonin circle, courtesy of her secret lover actually, who'd taken a shining to the girl when she'd been much younger.

But she was still a little surprised, floundering at the politeness for a couple of seconds actually before nodding "Right so Sakura-san as I understand it you recently became a qualified medic does that mean you're skills are mostly taijutsu based" the raven haired woman questioned.

Getting the literal ball rolling "Not at all Kurenai-sensei, though I am skilled and can even pull off low level chakra enhanced attacks, I can also use elemental based ninjutsu and my shuriken jutsu earned me top marks during my academy days" the pinkette ticked off.

Revealing just a few of her skills to the woman "Interesting so what are you hoping to learn during the month" Kurenai inquired yet again, surprised at how well rounded the girl seemed in other things beyond her taijutsu and medical ninjutsu as she'd initially assumed.

"A uniquely crafted scent based genjutsu to offset Dosu's sound based jutsu's" apparently Sakura knew exactly what she wanted to work on during the month of training she had and Kurenai found herself floundering again.

Before snapping out of it, "Okay then, do you have an idea of what you want to use for the scent part of your genjutsu or what you want one to see in the jutsu actually, part of crafting a genjutsu is knowing what you want others to see already without thinking about it" the raven haired woman informed.

Sakura nodded in understanding "Cherry blossoms, I'll seal them in a scroll to unseal during the fight, for the genjutsu, one that starts of slow, showing the trapped simple things he/she's already seen before progressing" the rosette announced.

Lying just a little bit, when really she intended on showing off her skill with the body flicker technique activating the genjutsu the moment she appeared before her opponent with a larger amount of cherry blossom petals that covered her entirely.

She already had the entire plan thought out for her fight it was just a matter of practicing with and without her trainer for the month "Good, good why don't you place me in the genjutsu now so that I can see what you have" Kurenai offered.

It was what she was there for after all to train the girl "Just remember you asked for it Kurenai-sensei" Sakura grimaced knowing exactly how she wanted her genjutsu to be and forming the hand signs for it.

To place Kurenai in, who blinked her eyes only to frown as absolutely nothing changed, then again her unlikely student had said it would start out slow, showing her what she'd already seen, Sakura stood across from her.

And just like that so unexpectedly the girl was gone fading out of existence as if she'd never been there, silence and she was starting to get worried that she would have to do a lot more than she thought when all of a sudden hands wrapped around her throat from behind.

Eyes wide because she hadn't heard anything Kurenai struggled to pry the hands from her throat, they felt so real, it was a challenge for sure and when she was free she dropped and thrust out her foot to kick the enemy away.

Only to swing through empty air, next came a barrage of shuriken and throwing needles and she had to hastily yank out a kunai to defend herself, forgetting all about how it was actually a genjutsu and that none of it was real.

But that had been the point probably simple things that happened in a fight would distract the entrapped into thinking everything was real if the entrapped didn't know they were trapped in a genjutsu that was.

Until she suddenly remembered and flashed through a set of hand signs to break out of the genjutsu "Not bad Sakura-san, for a moment there I nearly forgot it was all just a genjutsu" the raven haired woman smiled.

Pleased that the girl had an actual talent for genjutsu "If it had been allowed to keep going, things would have gotten darker I think, if I remember correctly anyway it's suppose to be a nightmare based genjutsu ensnaring an opponent by scent alone" the rosette explained.

In further detail about her genjutsu and Kurenai was actually impressed "Can I ask how long you've been planning this out, it seems quite a bit for only having the rest of yesterday to think on it" Kurenai questioned seriously.

Curious, very curious about Shibi's student "For awhile now, a few weeks I think, just haven't had the time to really buckle down and work on it" Sakura shrugged admitting that much, Kurenai smiled finding herself thinking that she was going to enjoy the next four weeks.

Especially if Sakura continued to make this easy on her "Impressive, okay do you have any back up plans in case the genjutsu fails on you" the ebony haired woman asked of the young girl who tapped her lip in thought.

Thinking no doubt of other idea's she could use during her fight against Dosu "Well there's elemental ninjutsu and my taijutsu of course, but he'll be expecting that I think, along with my shuriken jutsu, I don't want to have to use to much chakra so I'm limited" the pinkette mused.

Delving deep into her thoughts lips pursed as she considered all the options she had "Have you thought about signing on with a summons Sakura-san" Kurenai piped in when the mutterings got unintelligible and to low for her to hear.

"Oh ah…well you see the truth is I already have a summons, two days before I became a genin actually, I can use those in a pinch but he might suspect I have some sort of summons since one of his teammates went down from their venom" Sakura admitted sheepishly.

Wishing that she didn't have to reveal that particular tidbit but having no choice because she had a feeling the woman would have suggested she find a summons to sign on with if she did "What kind of summons if I may ask" the raven haired Jonin prodded.

"Red Legged Spiders, I'm the first to sign on with them, their very special to me in all honesty due to who gave me the summons contract" the fuscia haired preteen explained, thinking fondly of Shisui and hoping he was proud of her wherever he was.

Kurenai tilted her head to the side in confusion but didn't ask this time, instead took note of the time "Well that's it for our first training session, we'll meet again in two days time, work on your genjutsu and figuring out how to incorporate the scent part into it" Kurenai instructed.

Ending their training session and body flickering away in a swirl of leaves, Sakura sighed then marched off to her own team training grounds "Kid that you, is the survival round for our chunin exams already over, what happened did you make it to the final round" Darui spotted her.

When she was halfway there "Indeed I was wondering if you could demonstrate healing some things for me" Amai piped in on Darui's heels, both of them following her to wherever she was going only to end up on a training field.

"Yeah the survival round is over, since yesterday, apparently Orochimaru's on the loose in our village somewhere and yes I made it to the final round Darui-san, however that doesn't mean I'm not busy, there's a lot of work I have to do before I'm ready for my fight" Sakura announced.

Not wanting either male to think she was blowing them off but right now if she didn't get serious about her genjutsu plan then it wasn't going to be done in time for the Final Round, Darui and Amai shared a look "Training huh, do you need help" the dark skinned Cloud Shinobi offered.

Jade eyes widened "Are you willing to let me put you in a nightmare based genjutsu while I work on incorporating scent into it" the rosette inquired seriously, Darui shuddered and she grinned at him, knowing what he was thinking already.

But the surprise came from Amai who stepped forward "I'll do it if you don't mind Sakura-san" the brunet offered bravely, she worried her lip for a moment before nodding and gestured for him to sit down, then flashed through a set of hand signs.

Influencing his mind to see her still a work in progress genjutsu "Just what are you making him see anyway Kid" Darui prodded curiously when nothing happened and Amai continued to sit there unaffected for the moment.

While Sakura sat down and pulled out a scroll from her storage pouch to unseal two whole bags of cherry blossom petals, these ones scented, he could smell them from the short distance he was from them and start painting a formula on them for genjutsu probably.

"Can't say for sure, what all will go into my genjutsu, Amai-san will see us at first and the rest is by chance until I formulate a better illusion as I work on improving" Sakura admitted, glancing to Amai, who twitched lightly.

Probably going through the experience of being strangled right now, then glanced down to the pile of scented cherry blossoms with the jutsu storage seal on them, in the next second Amai's body gave a great jerk.

Darui's brows rose watching his current partner fight off invisible attackers, thrashing around entrapped in a genjutsu of who knows what until nine minutes after the start of it Amai broke free gasping for air and looking around wildly with onyx eyes wide in fright.

Before rapidly calming down as he realized that everything he'd just went through hadn't been real "Kami just call it the illusion of nightmares and be done with it" Amai breathed heavily still a little uncertain of whether he was out of the genjutsu or not.

Until Sakura spoke up "So things did take a darker turn just as I expected, besides being strangled what else happened" the pinkette inquired curiously needing to know to build a better foundation for how her illusion would be.

Amai blew out a breath "First I saw you two, then you faded away, there was utter silence and someone came up from behind to strangling me, I was faced with a barrage of weapons to and after that, I saw things that I see in daily nightmares" the brunet ticked off his fingers.

"What else Amai, you looked pretty wild there for a moment when you came to" the dark skinned male reminded of how he'd been after first breaking free of the genjutsu, that's because he'd thought he was still in it despite flaring his chakra.

Sakura listening with rapt attention "I was being drowned by that point in acid I think, it really did feel like my skin was being ate off, while I was entangled in hair and held down in the acid, pink hair to be precise, the illusion was oddly specific to make the hair pink" Amai grimaced.

Her brows rose "Well I didn't think it would go that far but thank you Amai-san, now I can put together a solid foundation hopefully and tweak it as I go along" Sakura grinned thinking over the limitless possibilities that were literally at her fingertips.

"Yeesh you get any scarier and you'll scare that Shino kid off" Darui teased only to get a senbon thrown at him, "Ouch" he said dully plucking the weapon from his arm and handing it back to her while she pressed a glowing green hand to the spot he'd been hit.

Off to the side Amai watched with interest "And you said that you recently became a fully qualified medic Kid, kami they should have let you become one the moment you started with that amount of talent" the dark skinned male whistled.

Seeing the bright green glow "Now don't get ahead of yourself Darui-san, I've had to train my ass off to achieve even that much for over three months you know" the pinkette huffed, then focused on adding the new petals into her body flicker technique.

"She knows body flicker at her young age what talent, how aren't you already a Chunin" the brunet was in as much awe as his partner was in awe Sakura body flickered around the training grounds, a sweet smell emanating from the cherry blossoms whenever she did.

Indicating that now should she want to Sakura could unleash the worst genjutsu he'd ever been in on anyone at her whim the thought was slightly frightening "Because I want to become a Chunin with my teammates" Sakura announced simply.

Proving to be dedicated to whoever her teammates were "And your little boyfriend so do you think you'll still be with him when your older Kid" Darui teased with a chuckle, watching as her face turned a spectacular shade of red at his teasing.

Before she stuck her tongue out "You keep mentioning a boyfriend Darui, but don't you think you're a little young Sakura-san" Amai creased his brow in concern, was the guy older than the girl, if so he hoped she realized that the guy was just using her.

"Maybe but he's my age and we've been the best of friends since we were six, plus we're taking it slow, really slow actually and yes Darui-san I think we'll still be together when we're older because there's no one else I like more than him" the rosette said.

Training a bit longer until she decided to call it quits for the day as she took note of how the sky was darkening up on her "Mind if we walk you home" the dark skinned male requested seeing her wary expression.

Which made him remember that she was afraid of the dark still from the Uchiha Massacre "Pretty sure Darui that if anyone tried to do anything to Sakura-san, she'd kick them halfway to Sand" the brunet chuckled dryly in amusement.

Missing the wariness because he didn't know what Sakura had been through "True but it's the thought that counts right Kid" Darui commented and she nodded looking just a tiny bit relieved actually as they started from the training grounds.

"Right and anything could happen on the way home, it could even be something that I can't handle on my own" Sakura piped in chattering to the two Cloud Shinobi to keep her mind off the fact that the streets were growing darker yet.

She was just about to pull her chakra powered lava lamp out when a distinct metallic scent wafted into her nose and she gagged "Sakura-san are you alright" Amai became very worried when the girl suddenly started puking.

"Blood I smell blood it's really strong" the pinkette gagged some more fighting off the flash-backs now was no time to panic especially if someone was injured, she took deep breaths plugging her nose before focusing her attention on her surroundings.

And when she pinpointed the direction the smell was emanating from hurried that way, Darui and Amai hot on her heels until they found a very injured person "It's recent the blood is still warm, but he's not breathing and he doesn't have a pulse" the brunet knelt down at the man's side.

Sakura stared in horror down at the person they'd found "Hayate-sensei, he was the proctor for our preliminary round yesterday, why would someone want to….never mind about that, Darui-san how good is your chakra control, we have to start his heart" Sakura took charge.

"Eh it's okay but I hope you aren't suggesting I use a lightning style jutsu on him" the dark skinned shinobi gave her a disturbed look, that might do more harm than good and he wanted to sigh when she nodded.

Though held up her hand before he could complain "Can you focus just a little bit of lightning based chakra in your hand to give him a little shock, on the count of three….Mibojin-sama go to the hospital inform them that Hayate Gekkou is gravely injured" the pinkette instructed, summoning Mibojin and sending him off on an errand.

While Darui on Amai's instruction pressed his hand over Hayate's heart to give him a little shock in hopes of restarting his heart, it took four tries before a shaky badump, badump, badump sounded in her chakra enhanced ears listening for that exact sound.

Darui sat back on his haunches sweat beaded across his brow "I'm glad I'm not a medic that's some hard work, having near perfect chakra control is definitely not my cup of tea" Darui grimaced watching as the two medics worked.

Healing up the giant chest wound while Hayate remained unconscious "Mine either really though I do know the hemostatic jutsu to stop bleeding" Amai admitted just glad that Sakura was there, who proved to have talent beyond what he'd thought, it wasn't on Tsunade's level sure but with a couple more years she'd be near that woman's level.

Fourteen minutes later Ittei and a gaggle of medics came tearing down the streets in their direction "Haruno what's the situation currently" Ittei demanded to know of the young girl, who was pouring all her intent and concentration into healing at that moment.

He had to wait patiently for a couple of seconds until she paused long enough to answer "When we found him, he had no pulse, Darui-san gave him a shock with lightning based chakra to restart his heart, stitches for what we can't heal, he lost a lot of blood as well" Sakura ticked off her fingers.

Relaying what he wanted which was excellent news in his eyes "Run back to the hospital get a IV for a blood transfusion ready, can you do stitches now or do we have to get him back immediately" the purple haired man barked.

Wanting more information "Mibojin will you spare me some of your silk and I'd like to at least have Hayate-sensei conscious before we take him to the hospital, so we can see if anything else needs to be healed, trauma to the brain could have been caused" the pinkette answered honestly.

Ittei stood back watching the youngest qualified medic on his staff work her magic with the help of a medic from Hidden Cloud, finishing healing up what they could of the chest wound before the spider that had come and got them gave his summoner some silk that she'd requested.

Pulling some disinfectant from her pouch and pouring it over the thread before looping it through a needle glad that her patient was unconscious for the time being and started the stitches, one medic moved forward with a rag to wipe her forehead free of sweat and pull her hair back.

Allowing her to see better without the mass of pink hair in her way, when she was done she took a quick sip of water then gave Hayate a jolt with her chakra waking him carefully from his unconscious slumber.

His eyes opened slowly peering around blankly for a moment "Hayate-sensei can you hear me, my name is Sakura Haruno from the preliminary rounds" Sakura asked very slowly having Amai help him to sit up very carefully at the same time and start wrapping bandages around his chest to cover the stitches.

"Sakura…from Team Seven what are you….I was dead wasn't I" Hayate frowned trying to remember before the memories started flowing in of what happened and Sakura nodded in answer to his question.

"Yes Hayate-sensei, lucky for you we found you when we did, Ittei-sama is going to take you to the hospital now do you want me to relay any information to Hokage-sama for you" the pinkette informed him gently speaking in a serious tone at the end.

He shook his head "No I'll do it later when I can think straight" the onyx eyed brunet coughed as the gaggle of medics that had come with the Head Medic shuffled forward to situate him on a stretcher and cart him off to the hospital.

The remaining ninja watched before letting out sighs of relief "Come on Kid let's get you home alright" the dark skinned Cloud Jonin said rising after a tense thirty minutes, the streets were completely dark by now.

And it was clear she didn't want to stick around for any longer than she had to "Yeah good idea" the rosette nodded trying to ignore the smell of blood that lingered in the air, Darui gave her a reassuring smile.

While placing his hand on her shoulder "Are you going to body flicker her home Darui" the brunet that had helped frowned in confusion at his current partner, Darui nodded seriously already knowing the way to her house.

In the next moment he was gone, Amai on his heels feeling where his chakra was located in the village "Thanks Darui-san, Amai-san, goodnight to both of you" Sakura bowed her head then disappeared within the very civilian home.

Her parents weren't happy to say the least until she explained what had happened, eating a late dinner and then taking a shower to wash away the remaining metallic scent before going to bed, Naruto and Sasuke conspicuously absent.

So it was just her at the dining table the following morning "Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun didn't come back yesterday, their sensei's for the final rounds are keeping them out the whole month" Mebuki informed with a huff.

"Oh I see, well it's probably better to have no distractions, plus Naruto's a blabbermouth sometimes and he'd blurt out everything he was learning" Sakura said lightly nibbling on a piece of toast covered in apricot jam.

Kizashi threw his head back with a laugh "To true Sakura-chan, to true, since it's just us though can you tell us what your plan is to defeat your opponent" Kizashi asked curious because who knows what his daughter had come up with.

Emerald orbs lit up in excitement "Genjutsu, I'll probably work on my taijutsu a bit during this month as well, but my finishing move will be with genjutsu, something Dosu will never see coming" the pinkette grinned.

Chattering a mile a minute to her parents the three of them alone for the first time in years "Do you know anything about what your opponent can do" the blonde that was her mother questioned interested to hear more about her daughter's grand plan.

"I do, he can use sound for his jutsu's that messes with the whole body, I'm going to fine tune my chakra control, make a barrier over my internal organs to counter his sound, plus find someone who'd be willing to seal some of his wind jutsu's into an elemental scroll for me" Sakura rambled.

Clearly having come up with a ton of plans to use in case one failed on her, both of her parents blinked before grinning "That's my girl show em who's boss during that final round okay" the pink haired male let out a raucous laugh.

Sakura blushed lightly in response before polishing off the rest of her breakfast, with that she vanished from the house no doubt to train the whole day like she had the day before, even if it wasn't with her designated trainer for the month.

"Figured you'd show up here Kid, so what's on the agenda for today" the dark skinned male that she knew and his partner were already on her training grounds, having been waiting for her probably as she skidded to a halt before them.

She took a deep breath "Stamina and taijutsu type training, I'll be using these weights to enhance my speed" the pinkette explained easily pulling out four twenty five pound weights, then sitting down to put them on.

Before wrapping her special wraps around each of her limbs "Are you going to be able to even stand" the brunet that she'd only met that week actually asked out of concern, but it morphed into shock when she did indeed stand.

Channeling chakra into her arms and legs to make the weights extremely light, it was a good way to fine tune her chakra control as well, then she saluted to the two males and took off, determined to meet her quota for the day.

Darui sighed and perched himself on a rock, while Amai did the same to watch Sakura run the training grounds throughout the morning, they didn't know how many laps she'd run but by the time it was noon she was clearly struggling to keep moving.

Until finally flopping down to rest "At the rate your going Kid your going to pull a muscle or kill yourself" Darui pointed out watching as she popped a chakra restoration pill into her mouth, then reach into the pack that she'd brought for a scroll.

Which was unsealed to reveal a plethora of nonperishable food items, immediately a can of beans was opened with some spooned out to make a burrito, cheese, a tin of sardines with a bag of crackers were cracked open as well, along with a large flask of water.

"Possibly Darui-san but I'll never improve if I take it easy considering I'm the only one from my class that isn't from a clan background, I have to work harder to keep myself at their level" Sakura piped in seriously.

Chowing down on her homemade lunch "How is it you decided to become a Shinobi anyway Sakura-san" Amai joined her on the ground, to his surprise she was in an awfully sharing mood as the food scroll was offered to him.

And he was all to happy to find something to eat as well, Darui following him a moment later in eating lunch with the young girl "I love to read and once I found a book on Lady Tsunade and decided that someday I want to become a kunoichi just like her" the rosette admitted.

Looking sad for a moment and Darui grimaced "Right how is your panda ant colony and that goliath beetle Saidai if I remember doing" he changed the topic hastily not wanting to see that look on her face anymore.

"Panda ant colony, goliath beetle please tell me those aren't what you consider pets Sakura-san" the brunet cringed wondering how on earth the girl had gotten into the habit of keeping insects as pets instead of normal creatures.

She sighed "From the time I was little I've loved insects, my panda ant colony has been successfully relocated though and Saidai's just as lonely as before, still have yet to find him a mate" Sakura added as an afterthought.

Resealing everything that had been chosen once the three of them were done eating and hopped onto her feet again, apparently she was going to keep wearing the weights as she flashed through a set of hand signs and made five clones of solid rock with her earth nature chakra.

Then went about brutally destroying them refining her taijutsu skills all the while "Such a scary girl" Darui shuddered seeing how ruthless she was even against her own clones, then again he had to remember what she'd done on a daily basis for two weeks.

Helped both Naruto and Sasuke, plus Shino and work on her own things "Indeed where do you suppose she gets it from" Amai flinched as Sakura punched her fist through one of her clones heads with fatal force.

No doubt channeling chakra into her attacks as well it was a frightening display to watch, Darui shook his head clearly not knowing how to answer, instead kept his gaze focused on Sakura until she was sufficiently exhausted.

When it was nearing 5:00 she called it quits, pushing herself past her normal limits, only then did the weights get peeled off and once they were sealed away in a scroll, Sakura saluted to them and body flickered home.

The following day it was back to training with Kurenai, who was put through a slightly more solid genjutsu "Nice just keep working on it and I'll see you next week on Tuesday Sakura-san" Kurenai told her when their training session ended.

"Roger that Kurenai-sensei" Sakura smiled waving the woman off before marching her way to her own team's training grounds for some more genjutsu training, Amai was the victim yet again, braver than Darui.

Who she coerced into sealing two of his wind jutsu into her elemental scrolls "Just be careful with those" the dark skinned man grumbled to Amai's amusement when he did finally break free of the genjutsu, cringing at the illusion of being strangled and held down in acid.

"I don't think you really have to worry Darui" the brunet chuckled watching as she worked on her body flicker technique, appearing in a larger flurry of cherry blossoms than usual, though it didn't completely cover her to her apparent frustration.

Traipsing off hours later only to return to the stamina/taijutsu training of the day before, which was kept up all the way to the following Tuesday "Looks like you've really improved with that, before it was just random, now it's more solid" Kurenai admitted.

Freaked out just a little at the illusion, it seemed to get more real each time she was put through "You don't think I'm going over board on it do you Kurenai-sensei" the rosette frowned wondering if it was enough and she should stop.

"Not at all Sakura-san, there's always room to improve, even when the jutsu seems perfect, don't assume that you can't make it better" the raven haired woman stated lecturing the young girl with a kind smile.

Sakura was very serious about her work and she didn't want the girl to think that she couldn't keep working on her genjutsu improving it even more "Got it Kurenai-sensei and thanks" Sakura nodded watching the woman body flicker off.

Before she hurried to her conduct her own training yet again, refining her illusion a little more, Darui being the tester this time since Amai was otherwise busy that day, only to vow afterwards to never go through it again.

"Make sure to remind me to never get on your bad side alright Kid" Darui grimaced feeling his skin crawling from the aftereffects of the genjutsu, he didn't know how Amai could even stand being put through it at all.

"If it counts for anything I am sorry" the fuscia haired preteen smiled sheepishly then turned and began storing the illusion into the seals on her cherry blossoms, nearly all the way through Amai meandered onto the field.

And she turned to him "Will you let me test and see if my genjutsu will work in conjunction with my body flicker on you Amai-san" Sakura requested politely, while Darui stood clear out of the way, Amai merely smiled.

Relenting to her request "Of course Sakura-san" Amai smiled, standing where she positioned him, then body flickered in a great flurry of cherry blossoms, a sweet smell emanated from them and suddenly he found himself neck deep in her genjutsu.

It started off normally enough like usual, being attacked, there was no strangulation this time and Sakura didn't fade away as she normally did, instead her hair became a living banner, tendrils of locks reaching out to wrap around him.

Holding him down as the ground sunk in beneath him, he could literally feel as acid ate through his clothes to his skin, eating it away painfully little by little and when he least expected it the illusion changed.

No longer was it Sakura holding him down as a very familiar voice echoed in his ears of his Kage, calling him everything that he always feared he'd be called, then the finale as he was pulled from the acid and the illusion Ay slammed two fingers charged with chakra into his heart.

Only then did he snap free of the genjutsu with a jerk and a flare of chakra, damn he'd nearly forgotten it was a genjutsu again "Mind if I ask how you managed to make the acid in the illusion feel real" the brunet panted hands on his knee's.

Sweat dripping from his face at the nightmarish illusion he'd just faced it was clear this particular run of it had really gotten to him "Picked up an acidic slug on accident once, remembered the feeling of it and incorporated that into my illusion" the rosette told him.

"Like I said a few days ago you are a very scary kid, Kid" the white haired Cloud Shinobi shuddered at the answer, glad when she moved on to working on other things until vanishing on them again most likely to go home.

And the next day brought something new as she switched up her stamina training to add evasion training into the mix as well, every Tuesday and Thursday Sakura showed up late to work on her genjutsu on those days only.

Until an entire month passed them by and it was finally time for the Final Rounds "We'll be in the crowd Sakura-chan" Mebuki told her daughter as she checked her pack one last time to make sure she had everything ready.

"Good luck kick your opponents as and make your old man proud" Kizashi pat her on the shoulder on their way out the door, Sakura blew out a breath, steeling her nerves, then body flickered to the arena to commence with the final rounds.


	23. Of Invasions & B Rank Missions

Walking into the arena when she arrived was a hard thing to do as Sakura realized exactly how many people would be watching the fights of the final round, but with a deep breath and steeling her nerves she headed for the only other genin there with her head held high.

Shino turned as he felt her chakra and nodded silently in greeting "Great there goes my plan, couldn't just forfeit could you Sakura, man this is such a drag" Shikamaru groaned from her other side as she stood between the two boys.

Emerald orbs narrowed "No, cause I trained my ass off, so hush up Shikamaru, otherwise if I end up facing you I'll kick your ass next" Sakura snorted already on edge, she just had this sinking feeling that something was going to go wrong that day after all.

"Is there a reason you brought a pack, why because it's out of place here for the final round" Shino finally noticed that she was carrying a backpack on her shoulders and creased his brow in confusion at the sight of it.

Her gaze met his evenly and less than a second later he understood, five minutes later Neji, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro joined them, eerily quiet, except for Neji who scoffed under his breath "You know it's indecent to stand so close right" Neji commented.

Taking note of how close the Aburame Heir and the civilian born girl were standing, neither of them deigned to even respond to him though, merely kept their gazes forward and heads held high in the face of the judges and the spectators.

Nine minutes and Dosu came trailing into the arena, Naruto was a minute after him "Sakura-chan your here" Naruto immediately latched onto her and she sent the boy a fond smile, relieved to find him in good health after not seeing any of the boys for a solid month.

Minutes were ticking down and still no Sasuke and Sakura wondered what the hell he was thinking being late on a day like this "Quiet you lot it is now time to begin the Final Rounds of the Chunin Exams" their proctor for the round Genma Shiranui.

"Excuse me proctor but Sasuke Uchiha is not here yet" Dosu grumbled dark eyes glinting with murder at his opponent during this round, Genma raised a mahogany brow at that and glanced up into the Kage Booth.

It was then Sakura noticed who else sat up there besides the Kazekage and her own Hokage, the Raikage was also up there with Cee and Darui "His round is the last match now for rules, same rules that you had for your preliminary round now everyone off the field except Uzumaki and Hyuga" the brunet ordered.

Sending the rest of the genin scrambling from the arena field and up into the stands, one paused though and turned to Naruto "Make sure you kick Neji's ass Naruto" the pinkette stated eyes burning with fire.

The boy gulped "You got it Sakura-chan" the blonde nodded seriously watching her follow the other genin participating in the final rounds except for Sasuke who was running late and firmly turn to face his opponent Neji Hyuga, Genma looked between them and started the match.

~Up in the Stands~

"Kid is going to lose it's hopeless for him after all" Kankuro sneered seemingly having forgotten who it was that yanked him flat on his face their first day in the Hidden Leaf Village all those weeks ago, this comment also earned him a cold jade glare.

Goosebumps broke out on his flesh feeling that fury directed at him, before focusing her gaze down into the arena again, watching as the goofy blonde charged recklessly at Neji, it only took her a second to figure out what he was doing.

Scoping out his opponents skills to see if he could counteract some of those skills with some of his skills it was a nice underhanded tactic and she was glad that he was going for the art of subtlety, not showing off all he could do right away.

Down below Naruto grinned, flashing a cheeky wink at Sakura who was intently watching and probably already knew what he was plotting, then body flickered as Neji launched into his jutsu, reappearing behind the older male.

And flying through a set of hand signs "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu" in the midst of body flickering he unsealed the storage tags to unleash a flurry of orange shuriken on Neji, and with the jutsu, brought the total of weapons to over one hundred.

Pale lavender eyes widened because he hadn't thought the idiot could pull off such a move as that, and then Neji rotated as a dome of chakra surrounded him, when the jutsu ended, Naruto was upon him and he went to take the boy down.

Only when Naruto went down it dispelled in a poof of weapons that exploded on him at point blank range, a few weapons made their mark before he rotated in that mass of chakra again knocking the rest of the weapons away.

Blue eyes glinted at him from across the arena and Neji snarled irritated that he was somehow the one getting beaten, slowly but surely and that pissed him off even more "You think you can keep me away, think again Uzumaki" the Hyuga growled.

Lunging to fast for Naruto to keep up and finally managing to get a hit in on the idiot with his gentle fist style, closing chakra points at a rapid pace until Naruto body flickered away, a few chakra points still open.

The fight had been going on for at least twelve minutes by that point 'Come on think, think' the blonde thought inwardly, he didn't want to show off all his tricks yet, but he didn't want to lose either while he kept body flickering a safe distance away every couple of seconds.

Running low on normal chakra as he finally thought of something and in a larger flurry of tags, substituted with a clone then hid underground, up in the stands Sakura's hands were tightly clenched around the railing of the stands.

Watching with rapt attention as what she knew to be a clone gave Neji the run around for a couple minutes longer, while the real Naruto waited for his chance, the clone went down and wham Naruto burst out of the ground.

Slamming Neji in the chin, while the clone vanished in a plume of smoke and knocked the brunet out after a twenty minute long fight "Whoohoo Go NARUTO-KUN" Kizashi's loud voice was heard of the cheers that erupted as they realized that Naruto Uzumaki had just beat Neji Hyuga.

Naruto flushed in embarrassment as Genma eyed the downed Hyuga "Winner of the First Match, Naruto Uzumaki" the hazel eyed brunet called it, more cheers erupted from the crowds of spectators and Naruto gave a proper bow.

Vanishing to the stands "Very well done Naruto, why because only you could do it after all" Shino commented giving the boy some much needed praise on a match well fought, Naruto was capable of pulling of impossible feats just like usual it seemed.

Down below Genma cleared his throat "Shino Aburame and Kankuro from Hidden Sand your up next" Genma announced the duo for the next match, Shino had just started turning to head down the stairs when his opponent piped in.

"Uh I forfeit is that alright, hehehe" Kankuro laughed sheepishly, everyone was stunned because they'd wanted to see what the Aburame Heir could do after a month long training period and they weren't the only ones disappointed.

As Shino was called the winner of his fight by default "I'm sure you'll have a chance Shino-kun, have patience alright, also Naruto that was very underhanded during your fight back there nice job little bro" Sakura soothed squeezing his hand gently, then turned to Naruto and gave him a noogie.

Naruto's face flushed a spectacular shade of red at the term of endearment "Aww come on Sakura-chan your embarrassing me" the blonde fidgeted trying to act like he didn't like it when his eyes sparkled with happiness.

While the third match was called upon to get started, Temari immediately leaped over the railing and Shikamaru let out a groan and started making his way slowly down the steps "Good luck Shikamaru, why because I'm counting on you to win your match" Shino said as he passed by.

Shikamaru grimaced, yet nodded before disappearing from view for a couple of minutes "You called him little brother, why when you bare no characteristics that indicates your siblings" Gaara's voice rumbled in that gravely tone they'd associated with him suddenly.

Speaking up for the first time since they'd all arrived, Sakura narrowed her eyes "That's physical only, in heart and mind Naruto is my brother in all but blood, anyway that's not quite true, my Mom has blonde hair and my Dad has blue eyes" the pinkette pointed out bluntly.

Baby blue eyes widened then filled with tears, because until just then he hadn't even truly realized, however that didn't mean he didn't know the Haruno's weren't his biological parents and was content to have a set of adoptive parents that cared for him along with having adoptive siblings.

He swiped harshly at his eyes drying the tears and sniffled once before focusing his attention down in the arena "What do you think Shikamaru's actually planning Sakura-chan" Naruto asked curiously watching as Shikamaru hid from Temari's wind jutsu.

It was powerful enough they could feel it all the way up in the stands, Sakura leaned over the railing dangerously to spy the Nara Heir from their vantage point "Eh he'll probably call this whole thing a drag and then forfeit at the last second" Sakura rolled her eyes.

Knowing her shogi partner quite well to figure out at least a few of his moves "It sounds like him alright, why because he lacks motivation for things like this" the Aburame Heir said smoothly, standing indecently close to his teammate again.

The other still missing from the arena while a fight raged on below "Listen girl if I were you, I wouldn't let that bug freak stand so close to you" Kankuro spoke up for only the third time since the start of the final rounds.

What he didn't expect was for the girl to whip around "Shino can do as he damn well pleases as it is I don't mind having him close so keep your comments to yourself Kankuro-san" the rosette glared daggers at the older genin from Hidden Sand.

Before turning firmly away from him, huffing and puffing because Shino had been insulted until he gently took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly in reassurance, pale green eyes honed in on that but the boy the eyes belonged to said nothing.

As the fight below came to a jarring halt, like Sakura had predicted Shikamaru forfeited at the last minute calling this whole thing a drag "Totally called it" Sakura grinned more than a little amused at her friends antics.

Only to become serious in the next moment as Genma's hazel eyes seemed to pierce right through "Contestants of the fourth match Sakura Haruno and Dosu Kinuta please come down here" Genma called hoping that the girl wouldn't forfeit and that this match would be very interesting.

"Finally now I can take my revenge" Dosu grumbled heading for the steps, Sakura nodded at the boys on either side of her, backed up a few steps, then took a running leap, pushing up off the railing when her foot hit it with a boost of chakra.

Doing a roll as she sailed through the air to land neatly on her feet before the rounds proctor "MAKE MOMMA AND DADDY PROUD OF YOU SAKURA-CHAN AND KICK ASS" her parents screamed from the crowds as she flashed a cheeky smile at Genma.

Who chuckled under his breath at the young girl's antics, who stood there waiting patiently for Dosu, until he emerged looking irritated that she'd launched herself over the railing instead of taking the stairs like a normal person.

It didn't matter though he'd still have his revenge for what the little bitch had done "Right, let the fourth match of the final round between Sakura Haruno and Dosu Kinuta begin" the brunet brought his arm down staring the match.

Almost instantly Dosu fired off a large scale sound based jutsu "Doton: Mud wall Jutsu" the rosette flew through a set of hand signs, raising a sturdy wall of earth that only got mildly cracked while Dosu growled in frustration.

Her lips curved upwards into a smirk as she took off up the wall, breaching the top she found her opponent glancing warily from side to side only looking up when he saw a shadow and by then it was to late.

The sole of her foot connected with his head and using it as a spring she launched herself into a roll, doing a little spin to sweep Dosu's legs out from underneath him "Damn little bitch I'm gonna kill you" the mummy wrapped genin snarled jumping to his feet.

Clearly furious "Tsk, tsk Dosu-san, you don't want to fall into the same trap your teammate fell in do you" Sakura wagged her finger with a giggle, ducking under the barrage of kunai, setting off a mild water jutsu in tandem of that.

Before dodging the second sound jutsu that was sent at her "Quit screwing around with me" Dosu snapped, struggling to keep up, it was like the freaking brat had exclusively trained to increase her stamina just to outrun him consistently.

Putting that in simple terms it was very annoying, Sakura's green gaze met his dark gaze "End of the road Dosu" then the pinkette once he did get his hands on her disintegrated into a large flurry of cherry blossoms that emanated a very sweet smell.

~Inside the Genjutsu~

Very pissed off that she'd somehow gotten away from him Dosu didn't realize he was neck deep in a genjutsu as he kept being attacked until the little brat showed herself to him, but he had no chance to attack.

When tendrils of pink locks wrapped around him, strangling him in a vice grip hold as he struggled to get loose, what happened next was something he didn't expect in the least as he was dunked in flesh eating acid, only then did he start screaming.

~Outside the Genjutsu~

Sakura reappeared half a second later watching and waiting for whatever, nobody knew what she'd done until Dosu started screaming, up in the stands Darui grimaced "Do you know what the brat did Darui" Ay asked brow raised in confusion.

"Yeah boss, it's a nightmare based genjutsu that she concocted, first it starts off slow, then progresses if I'm not mistaken right about now he's being eaten alive by acid in the illusion" Darui cringed just glad that he wasn't subjected to that horror anymore.

Two minutes later Dosu broke free of the genjutsu as it had run it's course a little faster than usual, bandages soaked with sweat as he gasped for air "I'm done playing with you wench time to die" the mummy wrapped genin spat.

Extremely angry that she'd caught him in a genjutsu and that it had showed him Orochimaru experimenting on him "Funny I was about to say the same thing" Sakura pulled out some of her carefully prepared throwing needles.

One of her summons this whole time had been sitting in her throwing needle pouch, slicking her venom all over the needles "Die" Dosu yelled setting off one of his largest sound based jutsu's in hopes that it would be all he needed to take the brat out.

No such luck when the attack hit and Sakura merely smirked at him figuring she'd wasted enough time for Sasuke to show up, threw down a smoke bomb and body flickered "And with that this fight is over" the rosette said.

Appearing behind Dosu, who was staring intensely at the area she'd just been standing and threw her venom laced senbon needles, all five struck and the genin from Sound went down with a scream of agony, vomiting all over the ground as the venom took affect immediately.

"H..How I didn't see you adding poison and…ugh just kill me now" the sound genin panted trying to fight off the venom coursing through his veins, it burned and he wanted to yell and scream and shout from the pain of it all.

Sakura shook her head and with a quick chop to the back of Dosu's neck, the genin slumped over unconscious "Winner of the Fourth Match Sakura Haruno" Genma called it and the crowds went wild as the arena dissolved in a cacophony of excited screams and claps.

With a polite proper respectful bow Sakura started making her way off the field when a flurry of black crow feathers and leaves appeared in her peripheral, Sasuke was right on time "Dumbbell do you enjoy giving people heart attacks" Sakura scowled at the boy.

Who went pale at the sight of her angry face "Not my fault Kakashi wanted to do one final training session, otherwise I would have been here from the start" Sasuke sulked, glaring at the older male that had arrived with him.

"Okay Sakura-chan let's go to the stands alright, good luck Sasuke-kun" Kakashi ushered the fuscia haired girl from the arena field while Sasuke faced his opponent who appeared in a swirl of sand, ready for his match.

And what a match it would be, as the fight started off normally enough sure, Gaara sending waves of sand after Sasuke who narrowly avoided being trapped in the ground up earth granules, it was noticeable that he'd improved his speed to Sakura who was yet again watching intently.

Then, then things took a turn for the worst before it was all out chaos in the arena, as suddenly Leaf and Sand and Sound were fighting each other and she had to shove Naruto out of the way of a pincer attack from some of those masked guys that kept coming after him.

"Knucklehead don't just stand there" she shouted kicking someone in the chest, a loud snap echoing in their ears "Shino where's Sasuke" the rosette turned to Shino, who pointed at the hole in the arena wall.

She grit her teeth "Well this is just perfect, to troublesome" Shikamaru groaned wishing he was anywhere but there probably while she knocked a few weapons away from him before helping Naruto onto his feet again.

"He went after Gaara, who was taken away by Temari and Kankuro, why because something is clearly wrong with him" the brunet elaborated in the midst of chaos, the four of them defending each other from random or full on frontal attacks.

Until they managed to get to safety for a few minutes "Do you got a plan Sakura-chan" Naruto questioned wincing at the loud explosions going off all around them, it seemed their village was under attack but he didn't understand why.

"Maybe, that Gaara kid is in the thick of it all I'm sure, there's Sasuke to worry about to, I think we should go after Sasuke first and come up with a better plan afterwards, keep your wits about you guys" Sakura clutched the straps of her pack tight.

Just glad she'd thought of bringing it that morning in case anything went wrong, her instincts had been on the mark again it seemed as the five of them took off, Kakashi and Shibi the only ones noticing their exit of the arena for now.

Then they were jumping through tree's at a break-neck pace "Can you tell how far away Sasuke is currently" Shino inquired knowing that her sensory skills were above average thanks to the special lessons that his father had given her in sensing chakra from insects.

For a moment she was quiet concentrating on spreading out her senses "About a mile ahead of us, however Kankuro-san has stopped, I'll throw Shiruki-chan on him, Ashi is on you Shino, Hitomi on Shikamaru, Rera on Naruto" the rosette sped through a set of hand signs.

Summoning five little spiders "Here we go then" the Nara heir blew out a breath as they crash-coursed Kankuro, who clearly hadn't expected them to catch up so quickly since the invasion had literally just started.

"Out of our way or face the consequences" the blonde knucklehead glowered upset that these people thought they could come into his village and try to destroy for some stupid vendetta he didn't know about.

Kankuro crossed his arms "You were warned, why because now it's over" the Aburame Heir distracted the older genin from Sakura launching a kunai at him, attached to the tip was Shiruki, the brunet dodged the weapon.

But not the spider, who immediately bit down "By the way Sakura since when did you have spider summons" Shikamaru saw fit to question his friend, though it did make sense now how she kept taking down people so easily.

The spiders were venomous "A couple days before we became genin Shikamaru, hey Naruto how good is your calligraphy while running, we'll need five chakra suppression seals to incorporate into Shino-kun's sealing barrier" Sakura turned her head to spy Naruto.

Who was keeping up with them surprisingly well "Four why because there are some enemy on our heels that needs to be taken care of" Shino piped in before Naruto could respond sensing the chakra tailing them.

Immediately Shikamaru offered to be the bait "Don't worry I got this Sakura-chan" Naruto waved his adoptive sister off, while pulling out a brush, popped open the lid to his ink pot and started drawing the chakra suppression seal on some tags Sakura handed him.

Eight minutes later they passed a downed Temari, who tried to come after them, but she was to low on chakra and severely injured to do so, then another five passed before they finally, finally caught up with Sasuke.

Who Sakura whacked over the head "Ow what did I do, what was that for Sakura" Sasuke complained, raising a glowing green hand to his head, healing the bruise that had been left on his flesh from the slightly older girl.

This was met with an unimpressed glare "Next time pay attention to your surroundings Sasuke, that's a bad habit of yours, we're under attack and you ran off recklessly after Gaara" the pinkette snapped, sensing the redhead half a mile ahead of them.

He'd stopped she noted warily "Glad I made it back in time, Asuma-sensei took care of those guys tailing us so I thought my skills would be more handy here" the Nara Heir returned in the nick of time when they were stood around.

Under the cover of an illusion tag and Naruto quickly got to work on drawing another chakra suppression seal to give to Shikamaru "Right so what exactly is your plan Sakura" the second to last Uchiha pressed for an answer.

While Sakura scoped out the situation a little more by use of her summons "We're going to use my sealing barrier to stop him in his tracks right" the Aburame Heir grimaced thinking this was the worst idea in history.

"Okay done, here's the chakra suppression seals guys" the blonde Uzumaki handed out the five tags, while Shino sat down and thought up a new barrier for the five of them to use for that day only probably.

Passing around scrolls with the barrier formula on it when he was done "First, Naruto will send in a bunch of clones alright to distract Gaara, then Shikamaru will catch Gaara in his shadows, before retreating after throwing this, while he's busy trying to get free, we'll spread out to raise the barrier" Sakura instructed.

Coming up with the best plan they'd ever heard "Not bad I guess, but how exactly am I going to retreat if I have him caught in my shadows" Shikamaru frowned confused yet he took the kunai she held out him that had a tag with an unknown formula on it.

"That's to keep the shadow in place even after you undo the jutsu" Naruto grinned readying a bunch of clones to sweep in and distract Gaara, knowing exactly what the formula was because he was the one who'd come up with it for Sakura to hold onto.

Just like that a sea of clones charged through the tree's "Is he really going to be alright on his own, maybe I should go help him" Sasuke frowned worried about the knucklehead, before realizing that the real Naruto was stood right next to him.

Pouting, Shikamaru made his move next, flying through the hand signs necessary for his jutsu and quickly caught Gaara in a thick black shadow thanks to all the tree's in the area, he threw the kunai and waited for half a second before undoing his jutsu.

Quickly placing down the scroll with Shino's sealing barrier formula on it, he waited for his cue from Hitomi to start the hand signs and from the other side of the clearing "Five Point Sunset Sealing Barrier Jutsu" Shino's voice rang out.

And what a spectacular barrier it was, in the colors of the sunset, then came the chakra suppression seals right as Gaara finally managed to free himself from the shadows he'd been trapped in for the last couple of minutes.

It was to late for him though as the seals worked their magic, suppressing Gaara's chakra and whatever else was inside of him, things were going very well as the manic glint in pale green eyes faded away to a quiet calm stare.

He knew they were there hiding in the forest, "It's alright you can let Gaara-kun out now Sound retreated and Sand surrendered, the fight is over" Kakashi startled the lot of them, body flickering next to Naruto who was his only student there.

The barrier was brought down at that and Gaara stood calmly to walk over to them, eerily silent "Am I going to be executed" the redhead finally rumbled in a gravely tone of voice, it made the most sense after all to be killed for what he'd almost done.

If it hadn't been for five genin, he would have gone on a murderous rampage "No Gaara-kun, neither are your brother or sister, speaking of, Sasuke, Sakura you two are in charge of healing Gaara-kun's siblings understand" the silver haired Jonin informed.

Both twelve year old's nodded just as they came upon the Kazekage's eldest child, she shifted into a defensive stance wielding her fan on willpower alone "Stand down Temari-san the fight is over, we're going to heal you" the rosette ordered.

Ready to defend just as much as she was ready to heal, teal eyes slid to the redhead who nodded solemnly "And Kankuro what about him after you poisoned him, he's probably already dead I can't feel his chakra anymore" Temari shouted.

Angry tears in her eyes as Sakura spread out her senses feeling for the Kazekage's middle child's chakra "Your wrong, Kankuro is still alive, you just can't sense him because your currently to emotional" the raven haired preteen scoffed.

Chastened at that Temari became a lot more subdued as the two medics went forward with glowing green hands to heal her injuries, adding one more to their party as they trekked through the forest back to the village.

Partway there they ran across and unconscious Kankuro "But I don't understand the poison you use it seemed really deadly, and he was so sure he'd found an antidote to it" the teal eyed blonde frowned seriously confused.

"Venom Temari-san, not poison, I have venomous spider summons, anyway I do have the anti-venom on hand so no worries" Sakura assured, reaching into her pouch for a vial, antiseptic wipes and a hypodermic needle.

Sasuke pulled up Kankuro's sleeve for her taking note of the older genin's high temperature from the venom possibly and sweat slicked brown locks as she wiped down Kankuro's arm right where a vein sat with the wipes, then injected her spiders anti-venom into the vein.

Less than a moment later Kankuro woke from his unconsciousness with a pain filled groan "Take it easy Sabaku, the fight is over so cool it" Sasuke warned when the older brunet jerked and tensed at the sight of them.

Before glancing to his sister, who nodded while helping him onto his feet "Why though this is our fault after all" Kankuro grumbled sulkily that he'd been bested by a girl and then that very same girl turned around and helped him.

Since when did things get all turned around and wonky on them, maybe it was when his Father decided it was a good idea to trust Orochimaru and join him in trying to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village that sounded right to him anyway.

Now they were a party of nine as they completed the trek back to the arena "For my sake you better have a good explanation for running off like that you idiotic little brats" Ay snarled charging at the genin brats he was familiar with.

Kankuro and Temari cringed when the Raikage of all people skidded to a halt before them and soundly whacked four of the Leaf Genin over their heads with a solid sounding crack "It's not our fault that Teme went after Gaara" the blue eyed blonde Uzumaki sulked.

Unhappy that he'd gotten scolded to "We weren't exactly alone either, my sensei was keeping an eye on us" the Nara Heir pointed over his shoulder where Asuma had emerged from the forest, having been leisurely trailing after them from the moment they'd taken down Gaara.

Ay blinked and rubbed a heavy hand down his face "HARUNO, UCHIHA, We Need You At The Hospital PRONTO" Ittei yelled at them from across the arena when he spotted the two genin, Ay grumbled under his breath at that because he wasn't done scolding them.

"Cee, Amai you'll go with them and help out got it" the Raikage barked at the two medics that had accompanied him from his village, leaving the other two to get started helping the Leaf Shinobi start construction on their village to rebuild.

Sasuke shrugged and gestured Sakura ahead of him, then followed hot on her heels "That's the girl right that you stayed with and learned that she had PTSD and needed therapy sessions" Karai who'd also accompanied his Raikage on that day questioned.

Noticing that one of the kids had pink hair "Yeah that's Sakura, just don't go around making fun of her for that understand, she gets a bit touchy about it" Darui warned simply knowing because of those two weeks in her house.

Karai creased his brow while the genin from Hidden Sand frowned because they hadn't thought the girl had PTSD in the least, she seemed so normal after all "Wait since when has Sakura been having therapy sessions" Shikamaru looked seriously confused.

"For a long, long time I think, since we were all eight" Naruto admitted carefully not revealing to much information since he'd been forbidden, there was a lot of things he was forbidden to talk about actually by Old Man Hokage.

Who was loping towards them at a slow gait, Kage robes in shreds "Ah Ittei must have nicked them for the hospital" Hiruzen sighed exhausted, guess he was just going to have to wait until later a good couple of days actually so that he could rest and regain his chakra.

"Do you know what happened to them when we were eight Hokage-sama why because I think it's time for the truth to be told" Shino pushed his sunglasses back up his nose tired of waiting, he wanted to be able to help Sakura more.

Hiruzen looked visibly shocked he'd even asked before letting out an even longer, sadder sounding sigh "Sasuke-kun's clan was massacred, they caught the murderer in the act, and he put them through hell literally" the Hokage announced.

"Physical and emotional trauma, that explains it really the changes they exhibited once they came back after that week of being in the hospital" the Nara Heir nodded seeing it now and he cursed himself for not realizing it sooner.

"It's not just that though Shikamaru, Sakura-chan can't stand the smell of blood, it triggers flashbacks of that night for her to" the blonde Uzumaki elaborated further, while Darui nodded, he'd been surprised that day when she'd puked but still healed that injured Jonin.

The whole time she must have been fighting back the flashbacks in order to save a life, Hiruzen cleared his throat "Either way now that some of you know, do try not to broadcast it all over the village" Hiruzen warned heading off for home, hopefully it was still intact anyway.

With that the rest of them split up "Are you alright Naruto-kun, where's Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan" Mebuki and Kizashi met Naruto halfway to the house, Mebuki immediately honed in on the absence of two of the children.

"Hospital helping to heal the injured I think, the Head Medic guy barked at them to come help" Naruto explained looking exhausted himself now, Mebuki relaxed just grateful they'd all come out of this unscathed for the most part.

Not their village sure it would take a lot of construction to fix the damage that had been dealt to it but right now their family was still in tact "Good, good come on Naruto-kun I'm sure your hungry" Kizashi blew out a relieved breath.

Leading them the rest of the way home but home wasn't where it was supposed to be, Mebuki covered her mouth and cried into Kizashi's shoulder, who shook his head while Naruto gaped in horror that their home was demolished.

There was absolutely nothing left of it "Oh no Saidai" the younger blonde murmured spying the habitat that had housed Sakura's goliath beetle, it was crushed completely, and he kicked some rubble out of the way searching.

Only to come up empty handed either Saidai was dead or he'd escaped, he didn't know but now they had the horrible task of finding anything that was salvageable from the wreckage of the house and find somewhere to stay for the night.

Meanwhile at the hospital, screams echoed from the lobby "Haruno go find out what the bloody hell is going on" the purple haired head medic snapped irritated, there were many patients to tend to and the screams weren't helping them relax at all.

Sakura turned on her heel, lab coat snapping with a crack as she marched out the doors of the ER, Sasuke briefly thought it was creepy before he focused on his task of mending a broken rib, guess this was the only way he was going to get his experience.

With Sakura, she'd managed to make it to the lobby only to have a giant beetle fly in her face "Saidai what are you doing here" the pinkette blinked in confusion as the goliath beetle perched on her shoulder, buzzing angrily.

Of course she realized the insect couldn't answer her but she had no idea what to do with him either as the screams died down "How can you just be so calm, look at the size of that thing, kill it now Sakura-san" the receptionist shuddered rambling like a nutter at the sight of Saidai.

"I'm not killing him, come on Saidai" Sakura shook her head with a snort then stormed off back to the ER now that the screams had ended, stupid woman who was always glaring at Sasuke, one of these days she was going to punch her and not regret the consequences.

Both Ittei and Sasuke looked up "What the hell is Saidai doing here" the Uchiha gaped seeing the head sized beetle sitting on Sakura's shoulder just calmly, it was creepy but he supposed that would be a reason why someone would scream.

Anyone would scream at the sight of Saidai actually especially females who were afraid of insects "Dunno and don't worry Ittei-sama, he'll be no trouble I'm sure of it" the pinkette grimaced jumping head first into healing patients again.

Until they were released from their duties hours later "I think I feel their chakra in that direction" Sasuke pointed in a direction that wasn't the way home, drained of chakra and ready to collapse but the two of them set off down the streets.

To come upon a hotel "Wonder what's going on and why they set up here" Sakura frowned in confusion as they talked to the hostess who led them to a private family suite in the hotel where the older Haruno's and Naruto were waiting for them.

"Saidai…..here I thought he was dead or just gone, how did you find him Sakura-chan" Naruto jumped up spying the giant goliath beetle he'd thought had perished or either escaped from the village, sitting on Sakura's shoulder all nonchalantly.

Before she could answer "Our home was crushed, we managed to salvage a few things for you both though" Mebuki told them the reason why they were set up in a hotel and Sakura's heart dropped, Shisui's picture had been on her desk.

And she was sure Ittei was going to want her and Sasuke's help for however long it took to heal patients "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan, we'll search for the rest of it tomorrow" Kizashi smiled warmly just glad that all of them were okay.

The house was just a house, family you couldn't get back once it was gone "For your question Naruto, I didn't find Saidai, he found me, in the hospital" the rosette announced plucking the goliath beetle from her shoulder and dropping him.

In the next moment he was attached to her shoulder again "Looks like you made a new friend" the older blonde that was her mother covered her mouth to keep from laughing, seems Saidai had been worried about his caretaker and was now attached.

"Hey, hey Sakura-chan you could totally use that, train him to be a messenger in case you can't use your spiders" the blue eyed blonde piped in excitedly realizing the possibilities that had now opened up for Sakura with Saidai becoming attached to her like he now was.

"Makes for an interesting idea, one we'll have to expand on later, right now we need food, please tell me that you saved us some" the ebony haired preteen groaned slumping down in a chair, after the amount of chakra he'd used that day he didn't care what he ate so long as it was something.

Kizashi chuckled "Go ahead and eat up kids, then go to bed, there's a room and bathroom for each of you in the suite, we chose carefully" the pink haired male passed plastic wrapped plates around to the two who hadn't eaten and cups of chamomile tea.

Both preteen's dug in with no preamble, barely remembering to give their thanks for the food before they were shoveling it into their mouths at a rapid pace, making sure to swallow properly sure and eat with their mouths closed while taking sips of their tea until all the food was gone.

Then Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura bid the older Haruno's goodnight and vanished to take showers or baths before dressing in what little clothing had been found and went to bed, Saidai cozying up to his caretaker as she fell asleep.

The next month was like hell on earth for them, splitting their time between helping rebuild their village or for Sakura and Sasuke, who due to all his hard work was bumped up to fully qualified medic, helped healing patients as they came in droves at the hospital.

Until it was March the 28th, a near solid month passing them by since the end of their disastrous chunin selection exams "Happy Birthday Sakura-chan" Mebuki and Kizashi cheered the moment she woke up that morning and padded down the stairs of their new house.

"Wait huh birthday, oh yeah that's right it's the 28th isn't it" Sakura bounced in excitement still surprised that she could even muster up that amount of excitement nowadays for any of her birthdays when Shisui had been around they'd been awesome.

Not that she didn't appreciate her parents efforts though, she still really missed Shisui "Yes it it Sakura-chan, your mother made your favorite, you go ahead into the kitchen while I go wake those lazy boys up" Kizashi chuckled.

Padding up the steps while she moved on into the kitchen and found a plethora of plum related food items, pickled plum rice balls, a pickled plum salad, anmitsu with plums, omelets with pickled plums, pancakes with plums and plum flavored fruit tea.

Sakura stared feeling like she was in heaven "What's all that for" Naruto pouted as he was ushered into the kitchen, only to spy the amount of food already situated on the table, it was enough to feed a small army he thought or be good for a picnic with a lot of people.

Sasuke knew however as he glanced to the calender "Happy birthday Sakura" Sasuke whispered as he took his seat around the new kitchen table that had been bought when they'd moved into their new house, which was five times better than the old house.

"It's Sakura-chan's thirteenth birthday Naruto-kun, the first one since you came to live with us in fact" the older blonde at the table explained what all the food was for, it didn't even come close to what she planned later than night though for dinner.

Naruto gaped "Sakura-chan's birthday and nobody told me, I don't have a present to give her or nothing" the younger blonde flopped down in his chair sulking even more now, only because he didn't have a gift to give his best friend/adoptive sister.

"Relax Naruto, I ask for nothing, the only thing that makes me happy is knowing that in a few months down the road you'll get to have your own birthday party" the pinkette smiled reassuringly at the knucklehead.

While Kizashi chuckled and Sasuke shook his head "Anyway let's dig in before all this food get's cold" the pink haired male clapped gesturing for Sakura to take the lead, this one day only and the minute she took a bite of her pancakes the rest of them dug in as well.

"You know I'm kind of glad we have a chance to enjoy the morning without being dragged off to heal or help rebuild for once" the ebony haired preteen said when he was to full to eat another bite with plenty of left-overs to snack on throughout the day until dinner.

Just like that a plume of smoke filled the air "Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno your both wanted by the Hokage immediately" a member of anbu black ops appeared in the kitchen delivering the summons to two of the genin in the household.

The duo stood and Sasuke scowled realizing he'd just cursed them in someway "Guess we'll be back in a bit" Sakura nodded to her parents and Sasuke, inwardly wondering what the Hokage wanted them for.

In the next moment Sakura and Naruto body flickered in their respective signatures, cherry blossoms and storage seal tags, all the way across the village to the Hokage Tower, where they were immediately ushered into the Hokage's office.

"Okay old man what do you want, it's Sakura-chan's birthday today, shouldn't she get the day off after all the hard work she's been doing lately around the village" Naruto huffed not happy they were being interrupted in the least.

Graying brows rose high and the Hokage chuckled "Be at ease Naruto-kun I'm not calling you in here for a mission, not yet anyway, the judges of the Chunin Exams and I convened and decided that out of all the contestants you two and one other deserved a promotion" Hiruzen explained.

And utter silence met his ears "P..Promotion Hokage-sama surely not, we didn't do much after all" the rosette spluttered in shock a second later, just as he'd expected she would, Sakura was a humble girl much like Shisui had been a humble man.

She'd flourished greatly under his influence, ah if only Shisui were still alive, he might have asked to take her on as apprentice eventually he was sure of it "Yeah old man, our fights were completely ruined by that invasion thing" the blonde frowned.

"Now, now that is not all there is to being a Chunin after all, successfully subduing a jinchuuriki in the midst of an invasion, not to mention the maturity and tact you displayed during your fights as well played a key part in the decision to promote you to Chunin" the Third informed kindly.

Waiting patiently for the genin to sort themselves out so he could continue "What about Sasuke and Shino, they helped with Gaara to you know" Naruto scowled not liking that two of his friends weren't getting the recognition they deserved.

"I've already spoken with Shino, he's been given a reward but not a promotion, he seemed to think you were most deserving of it Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-kun will also receive a reward Naruto-kun so no worries" Hiruzen assured.

Taking a puff from his pipe and blowing out a stream of smoke "You said not yet, does that mean Naruto and I will be getting a mission soon" Sakura honed in on the yet part after a couple more minutes, thinking through her decision.

His brows raised again because he hadn't thought she'd catch on so soon before he could tell them "That's right, not yet and yes soon, tomorrow to be precise, more details will be handed out then, show up at 0900 hours, now do you accept your promotion to Chunin" the wizened old man prodded.

Sakura shared a look with Naruto, who puffed up his cheeks before relenting with a nod "We accept Hokage-sama and don't worry I'll make sure we're packed appropriately, can you at least tell us the Rank so we aren't caught off guard" the rosette requested.

Accepting the chunin vest he held out to her "B Rank, I'm leaving the packing in your capable hands Sakura" the Third Hokage told them as Naruto also took his vest before they body flickered presumably back home.

"We're Chunin now believe it" the blonde shouted at the top of his lungs the moment they returned to the new house they'd chosen after their old one had gotten demolished, Sasuke dropped his book that he was reading and it was all out chaos.

It wasn't until much later after a long, long day that didn't seem much like a happy birthday anymore Sasuke finally accepted that he hadn't gotten promoted and that he wouldn't be going on the mission Naruto and Sakura had gotten assigned immediately after becoming Chunin.

Not that it was the only crazy thing that happened that day, as Mebuki and Kizashi informed their daughter that as of two months ago, she was officially betrothed to Shino, and neither of them could break off the betrothal contract.

Sakura had a lot to think about as she went to bed that night, wondering what the mission would be like, if everything would go well or if it would be just like every other mission she'd been on so far, chaotic and dangerous, while falling asleep.


	24. Brothers Reunited & Sakura's Sacrifice

The following morning found Naruto and Sakura packed and ready to go off on their first mission as Chunin "Good luck on your mission you two" Mebuki smiled warmly at the duo, waking up in time to see them off to the Tower for mission details.

"Yeah and if you can bring me back an awesome souvenir or something" Sasuke sulked only perking up as he thought of an excellent way to stave off boredom while Sakura and Naruto were gone as the duo waved.

Before body flickering to their destination "Hold up Sarutobi-sensei, I only asked for the gaki, not the other one" Jiraiya scowled at his sensei when both Chunin appeared in the office, entering through the door of course.

Hiruzen held up his hands "I realize that, however Sakura will be most useful on this mission as well Jiraiya, sharp mind, fully qualified medic you don't find those often, not to mention she can help keep Naruto in line" Hiruzen chuckled.

While the knucklehead gave an offended ~hey~ "Not that bad anymore" Naruto huffed crossing his arms over his chest and Hiruzen shook his head in amusement, while Sakura merely grinned, obviously finding his antics hilarious.

She'd been a good friend to Naruto and now he was as happy as could be with an adoptive family "Let me hear some credentials then, past mission reports and a report from the Head Medic, I'll only take her if I get some proof that she's as good as you say she is" the Sannin demanded.

And the girl sighed frustrated that the man was being so obtuse "Very well Jiraiya, as of now Sakura has 1 A Rank, 4 C Rank, and 43 D Rank missions completed and here's the report for one of her C Ranks, also a report from Ittei-san on her work ethnics directly" the Hokage sighed.

Jiraiya took the reports in hand, scanning them with intent, only to slump his shoulders and relent to the Hokage's decision of having another brat along with him "So beyond that the mission is B Rank, what exactly are we going to be doing" Sakura piped in curiously.

Next to her Jiraiya went rigid again "You mean you don't even know what mission we're going on, sensei please I can't handle two brats at the same time, if she's as ill-prepared as I think she is" Jiraiya whined throwing a fit.

Off to the side Naruto edged away from his friend as her brow twitched and her hands clenched into fists "Jiraiya-sama if you would stop acting like a child for one minute I'm sure you'll find out why neither of us know what kind of mission we're going on" the pinkette snapped.

Clearly done being treated like she was, the man reeled back and the Hokage cleared his throat "To find Tsunade that is your mission, I've decided to step down and chose her to be my successor" Hiruzen explained seriously.

Both young shinobi straightened "Old man how can you just quit being Hokage like that, what if this Tsunade lady isn't very good" the blonde looked very sad at the news, they were probably some of the first ones to know as well.

While Sakura pressed her lips together, repressed excitement visible in her green irises "We'll find her Hokage-sama and Naruto it's not like he's dying or anything, just retiring and I'm sure he'll be happy to have you come visit him any time you'd like" Sakura nodded seriously.

Then turned to Naruto and soothed his upset feelings, Jiraiya watched curiously while Hiruzen threw his head back and laughed "Right, thanks Sakura-chan, anyway I guess we'll be back whenever we find this Tsunade lady" Naruto sighed.

Depressed probably but ready to get the search underway, Hiruzen chuckled softly "Before you leave, Sakura, I forgot to give this to you yesterday from you know who, another gift for passing a shinobi milestone, open it at your discretion" the Third Hokage produced a scroll from his desk and held it out.

Sakura bowed her head and took the scroll gently before stowing it away in a pouch, then the three of them headed from the office, out the Hokage Tower and down the streets to the gates "I swear every time we see you, your with the oddest people" Kotetsu said eyeing her mission companions.

"Quite so where are you off to this time, another bug hunting expedition I presume, then again you only do that with the Aburame's so it must be a mission right" Izumo inquired, while Jiraiya looked oddly disturbed suddenly.

The pink haired teenager blushed lightly "Mission this time Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san, it's a big one" the rosette admitted signing her name before passing the pen to Naruto who did the same for Jiraiya until all three of them signed out.

"Where are we going first anyway pervy sage" the blonde knucklehead folded his hands behind his head as they started off down the path leading away from the village, no doubt they'd be searching outpost towns for information on their mission target.

Beside him Sakura's mouth opened and closed in horror "Damn Gaki how many times have I told you to stop calling me that" Jiraiya grumbled clearly unnerved at the nickname he'd been branded with, not to mention how he got saddled with an extra brat on the mission as well.

"Knucklehead you shouldn't call Jiraiya-sama something so atrocious like that, how would you feel if someone called you an insulting nickname like that" Sakura scolded, wondering if she'd be able to break him from his bad habit.

Naruto sulked "He's a big pervert though always peeking on women in the bath and a uh toad sage what else am I supposed to call him but that" Naruto whined obnoxiously and waved his arms, this was starting off as a very bad day for him it seemed.

She sighed "Certainly not that for sure" the pinkette quipped with a stern frown, trying not to laugh, oh kami it was so hard, but she managed to reign the urge in just barely, because she didn't want to burden Jiraiya more than he already was.

"Fine I'll stop calling him that all the time, will Sensei do since you did promise to train me" the blonde pouted knowing that if he didn't Sakura would keep nagging at him until his ears bled to change how he treated the adult with them.

Jiraiya blinked "Good enough gaki…and I've got a good jutsu to teach you later on, by the way who did Sarutobi-sensei mean when he said you know who" Jiraiya prodded the young girl, who jolted having been lost in her thoughts.

"Err Shisui Uchiha, we were pretty close when I was little before he died, I guess he left me some things as I passed shinobi milestones such as becoming a genin, chunin, probably jonin and so on" the fuscia haired teen explained simply.

Itching to open the scroll and find out what he'd left her this time "Are you gonna open it" the white haired Sannin raised a brow, Sakura shook her head "Why not" he frowned, curious about what kind of things the deceased Uchiha would have left the girl.

Her eyes changed from warm to sad "Sakura-chan likes opening those sorts of gifts alone or with the Teme, that's Sasuke by the way" Naruto piped in knowing Sakura very well after living with her for over five months at this point.

Grateful the knucklehead understood she flashed him a calm smile "Precisely sorry Jiraiya-sama, Shisui was like a brother to me, whatever he gives me is so important knowing that even in his final moments I was there on his mind" Sakura announced.

Looking a little sad still but he could understand he guessed "Very well then I won't ask or pry, just keep the gaki in line and maybe I'll even teach you something to" Jiraiya snorted falling silent after that as quiet settled around them like a blanket as they walked.

For an hour, neither of the newly promoted Chunin so much as complained about their feet or leg muscles hurting from the fast paced walk "Okay kids, our first town, goal gather information on Tsunade, gaki with me, Sakura on your own, meet at that inn in two hours" the Sannin ordered.

"Good luck Sakura-chan" the blonde Uzumaki waved as the two of them disappeared down the streets of the outpost town, Sakura watched them go, keeping her senses spread to keep up with their movements around the little town.

And turned on her heel heading in the opposite direction, the first place she hit "Brats aren't allowed now get out brat" the bartender/owner of the bar demanded almost immediately when she walked over to him.

"Hold on now I'm not here trying to buy anything Sir, I'm a ninja, and I'm looking for a woman named Tsunade Senju, you wouldn't have any information on her would you" the pinkette launched into an interrogation, flashing her ninja registration card at the man.

Not wanting to be kicked out right away especially when she could gather information "You a ninja ha that's hilarious, but no kid, I ain't heard nothing about Tsunade, now please respect the rules of my bar and leave" the bartender/owner pointed at the door.

"Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks Sir" Sakura bowed properly on her way out of the bar, so the first stop proved inconclusive that just meant she would have to try again until she found something concrete about Tsunade.

Her next stop was a gambling house, knowing the woman's penchant for gambling, yet the master of the house shook his head, "Don't know why your looking for her girly, but good luck" the man waved her off on her way to find somewhere else that might produce results in her search.

A public onsen seemed like a good hot-spot for Tsunade, but they hadn't seen her either, Sakura sighed glancing to the sky to check the time and how much had gone by, before locating Jiraiya and Naruto's chakra still on the other side of the outpost town in the same spot as before.

If they were just goofing off she was so going to hit them when they met up at the inn "Freaking jerks making the girl do all the hard work" the pinkette grumbled seeking out a casino just in case the woman had been there.

No such luck and she was about ready to scream in frustration or tear her hair out, either one sounded good right about then as she meandered around the town with what little time she had left seeking out places Tsunade would like or stopping in more bars.

All with negative results in her search until it was time to head to the inn, she didn't waste a single second in body flickering, yet she found herself the first one there, it was more than a good twenty minutes that she stood there waiting.

Before her mission companions finally showed up "Oh Sakura-chan hope you weren't waiting long" Naruto grinned when he spotted her standing in front of the inn, only pausing as he realized her unimpressed expression, he gulped realizing she had been waiting.

For how long he didn't know but he was probably about to find out "Surely that can wait until you two get inside, take my pack Naruto I'm going to go do some research, make sure you get a room big enough for the three of us" Jiraiya spotted a pretty girl and was off.

Practically throwing his pack at his godson "Told ya he was a pervert Sakura-chan, anyway I really am sorry, it's his fault just so you know" the blonde Uzumaki flinched expecting the whack, ninja were suppose to be on time, it could mean a matter between life or death as she'd told him.

"Try to keep that nickname to a minimum and don't worry about it Naruto" Sakura adjusted her pack to be more comfortable as they headed in and rented a room for the night, Jiraiya could add more days himself later depending on how long they were there.

With room key in hand they headed up the steps to find their room and what a spacious room it was complete with three beds and a bathroom, bathtub attached thank you very much to her absolute delight "You really like baths don't you Sakura-chan" Naruto sniggered.

As Sakura nodded her head eagerly "Exactly Naruto, got to keep my skin hydrated after all, that can wait though, want to see what Shisui gave me" the rosette yanked out the scroll, only trusting three people to see what the Uchiha had left her.

Naruto plopped down on her chosen bed with her "Heck yeah Sakura-chan" he nodded eagerly staring with wide eyes as she unrolled the fancy looking scroll with the Uchiha fan on it, then swiped some blood down the storage seal to unseal it.

Out came a plethora of interesting items, four new books, extremely advanced fuinjutsu, a book on the sharingan for medical purposes, plus a book on earth and water nature jutsu's in respect to her two natural elements and a book on poisonous insects that would interest her greatly.

There were three packs of dark pink colored senbon, a sword that was completely black, hilt and blade, a case that held two earrings, designed like the Uchiha fan that she was very confused over, a folded up shirt with shorts, and a new ninja outfit dark green yukata with removable sleeves.

After that was a pair of new sandals, three pairs of gloves, another scroll that revealed a pack full of medical supplies, lastly two envelopes, one seemed thicker than the other so she went with the thinner one first, cracking it open to read and finding it another letter, as Naruto scooted closer.

 _~Dear Sakura-chan_

 _Must be surprised huh, I bet you thought that I only wrote you one letter, I'm assuming you're a Chunin now if your reading this, Sasuke-chan to hopefully, if not I'm glad you made it to the next rank and he'll join you as Chunin soon enough._

 _Right I hope you enjoy those books I left you, I found them with you specifically in mind, it was hard finding one of them though so take good care of it, I had to go clear to another land for that and there's not another like it in existence, well not anymore._

 _Not that I really have to worry or anything, you've always been good to books and you'll no doubt treasure that one until the end of time, the rest of them as well, hope you like the senbon, I know they were your favorite weapon to use and I had a hard time deciding between having them tempered a color or not._

 _In the end I got them tempered, the sword to, though that was actually meant for Sasuke-chan I just accidentally sealed it in the wrong scroll look there see I make mistakes to sometimes, you can keep hold of it until he becomes Chunin by the way or use it for the time being._

 _Bet your confused about the earrings, they would have signified your status as my apprentice Sakura-chan if I'd gotten to take you on but I want you to wear them anyway, you've earned them after all the hard work you've put in._

 _For the shirt and shorts they were actually mine, figured you'd want something to remember me by, the yukata is for you to wear with your Chunin Vest and yes you can take the sleeves off, pretty clever if I do say so myself._

 _As for the sandals I'm sure you'll forever be in need of an extra set and the gloves are to protect your hands, from splinters and the like, have your summons weave his silk into them, they'll be extra strong I'm sure, if you signed on with them anyway._

 _The pack of medical supplies is in case you made part of your dream came true and became a medic like you always vowed you would, someday I hope you get to meet Lady Tsunade, maybe she could be your Shishou, if you ever meet her ask her to take you on as her apprentice._

 _Lastly the other envelope contains a valuable contact network that I set up, I'm leaving them in your hands Sakura-chan, if you ever need information send a message to one of them and they'll get it to you asap._

 _With Much Love Shisui~_

Just like that the letter ended abruptly "Wow that Shisui guy must have really cared for you huh Sakura-chan" Naruto whistled in awe, not only that but he'd written her a really long letter to, saying lots of things.

Her eyes sparkled with literal happiness "Mhm he was the best older brother I could have ever asked for even if we weren't really related, he was always so kind to me and teaching me important things that I keep close to my heart to this day" Sakura nodded.

Grabbing for the other envelope and cracking it open, page after page of contact information for people she didn't know, it was a thought for later in case they couldn't find Tsunade though as she sealed it all away in the scroll that had been given to her.

Along with the sandals, gloves, the shirt and shorts, pack of medical supplies, plus the sword that she would never use, this left out the books that were stowed away in her storage pouch, the senbon needles that were exchanged with the regular ones.

The yukata to and the earrings "Say Sakura-chan mind if I take a peek at your new fuinjutsu book please" the blonde suddenly pouted when she was heading into the bathroom to change out of her usual outfit into the new one that Shisui had gifted her.

She paused long enough to reach into her pouch and gently toss him the book "Be careful with it" the rosette grinned knowing the knucklehead would be careful cause it was a book on sealing jutsu that he'd never read before.

With that she hurried into the bathroom, quickly changing into the dark green yukata, it went to her knee's, then she rearranged all her pouches and summoned Mibojin "Sakura-sama it's been awhile" the spider greeted.

"I apologize Mibojin-sama it's been a rather hectic month trying to rebuild the Leaf Village, plus I was obligated to help heal patients at the hospital since I have my qualifications" Sakura bowed low before her summons in apology.

Hoping it would be enough for him along with some juicy flies she kept in constant supply for her summons "Very well, just do try to warn us when you go long periods of time without summoning us next time Sakura-sama" Mibojin sighed knowing she was sincere.

Like that she scooped him up into her arms unafraid to hold him or snuggle as the case was "Extra apology Mibojin-sama, also would you mind weaving your silk into this yukata for me, it's new" the pinkette requested while handing over a couple of juicy flies for further apology.

Wanting to make her summons know that she hadn't ignored them because of some stupid reason, "Of course Sakura-sama" the large red spider nodding working his magic on his summoners clothes until it provided an extra layer of protection.

This earned him a third fly before he poofed out of his existence, Sakura blew out a breath and took out a senbon needle to pierce her ears with taking to heart Shisui's wish for her to wear the earrings he'd gifted her.

In the next moment after shoving the thin weapon through her ears making large enough holes in the flesh, she quickly popped the earrings in and healed her self injury, checking them out in the mirror as she did so and finding she quite liked them.

Dabbing up the bit of blood as she spotted it before finally exiting the bathroom sporting her Chunin Vest again over the top of her yukata "Look at me Sakura-chan I'm see through" Naruto practically shouted in excitement.

And she looked over at him only to burst out laughing because the knucklehead was indeed see through "Interesting did you find that seal in the book, would make for an amazing prank on Jiraiya-sama I think for abandoning us to goof off with a woman" Sakura grinned.

Deciding that Jiraiya had been gone long enough and he needed to be brought back through any means necessary, Naruto's eyes twinkled with mischievousness "You rock Sakura-chan, we'll also pick up dinner after I get my fun out of the way" the blonde sniggered.

Adding the rest on a lighter note "Go on knucklehead and sweet potato curry and rice with dango and plum flavored tea" the fuscia haired teen waved him off with a snicker, only sending a clone armed with her camera after him as an afterthought.

Plopping down on her chosen bed afterwards to pull out the book on the sharingan that Shisui had given her, cracking it open to read while she waited, becoming absorbed in the book once it proved to be a veritable information treasure trove on the Uchiha clan dojutsu.

It was going on thirty minutes on exactly chapter four that an all to familiar chakra flared to life on the other side of the door to the room she was in, her head snapped up and her heart dropped feeling the larger more malicious chakra that accompanied that familiar chakra.

Followed by an all to polite knock that was Itachi even as a rogue, respectful and polite to a fault, when she sat frozen on the bed another knock came a couple minutes after the first 'Crap what am I suppose to do' she panicked inwardly.

Trying to decide on a course of action that would hopefully get her away from the imminent danger, the third knock was louder, impatient and so not Itachi and she really didn't want to answer the door in the least.

Especially when not even five seconds after the third knock came a fourth, fifth and six, each more impatient and definitely angrier than the one that came before it and after spreading out her chakra to find out where Naruto or even Jiraiya was her hopes were dashed.

She was completely alone and body flickering would only escalate the situation so with a sigh she stood and finally went to answer the door "May I help you" Sakura forced herself to say upon opening the room door.

Meeting Itachi's sharingan gaze with trepidation "Yeah you stupid little brat where's the blonde brat that's suppose to be with you" the one with blue hair and blue skin stepped into her space rather forcefully, the one who'd been practically beating on the door.

"I'm sorry Sir, but Naruto is not here, he stepped out a little while ago to find our mission leader and hasn't come back yet" the pinkette said cursing herself for being so polite to a rogue of all people, like seriously how stupid could she be.

Clearly the rogue was shocked at her politeness while out of the corner of her eyes she caught a glimmer of amusement in Itachi's red eyes, probably thinking she hadn't changed one little bit since she'd been a little kid.

It made her really want to throw something at him for finding her politeness amusing "Sir, man are you dumb or something you don't go acting all friendly with a rogue pinky people might think your in league with them" the blue skinned rogue scowled incredulously.

Obviously disturbed and obviously thinking she was stupid like she'd just thought herself a couple minutes ago "Not exactly it's just ingrained in me to be polite, anyway Naruto isn't here" Sakura scowled right back before repeating her earlier statement.

"Then we have no more business here, come Kisame our mission was merely to acquire the nine tails Jinchuuriki if he is not here then we lost our chance" blessed Itachi spoke up finally and ordered the rogue to retreat.

While also giving her some valuable information as well, his partners name and their reason for being there "Just hang on a minute Itachi-kun, we could use Pinky as bait don't you think for blondy" Kisame jerked his thumb at her.

Giving a sharp toothed grin as he thought of an excellent idea while Sakura's heart dropped further into her stomach, Itachi peered over his shoulder at his partner, irritation in his gaze that was completely missed by the oblivious Kisame.

And when he realized the man wouldn't relent shot her a sneaky apologetic glance "No sudden moves understand or we'll kill you" the Uchiha heir warned turning on his heel taking a reluctant step forward to enter the inn room that she'd rented.

At the last possible second though as he was about to turn into the room she was in another familiar person showed up "It's been a long time, little brother" Itachi felt the chakra, feeling frustrated that nothing seemed to be going well.

Sasuke seemed to realize that she was there "Get away from her or I'll kill you Itachi" Sasuke grit his teeth angry because of what his brother had done to Kakashi, even knowing Itachi was merely acting the part of rogue for their village's sake it didn't make what he'd done right.

Killing off their whole clan either, surely not all of the Uchiha had wanted to revolt against the Hokage or rather Danzo "Don't be an idiot Sasuke, your not…your not ready to face him" the pinkette warned looking torn on what to do.

He sent her a murderous glare, the first time she'd ever seen such anger from him and thrust out his hand "Shut up Sakura, that side of you has always been annoying, stop thinking your better than everyone else and butt out of my life for once" the ebony haired preteen snarled.

Obviously not in the right mind right now as lightning crackled in the palm of his hand and charged recklessly at Itachi while missing Sakura's expression "Poor Pinky even Itachi-kun's brat brother doesn't like you" the rogue from mist laughed.

Taking enjoyment out of her upset feelings, she grit her teeth and readied herself to step in anyway when Itachi caught Sasuke's hand at point blank range, destroying part of the inn as the jutsu exploded violently.

Then to make matters worse Itachi gripped Sasuke's wrist and snapped it brutally "Foolish, and treating Sakura-san like that how cruel, I wouldn't be surprised if she starts to hate you after this" the older Uchiha laughed mockingly.

Sakura jumped when Itachi invaded her personal space a second later, "Come with me Sakura-san, forget my foolish Otouto, you have so much potential and it's wasted in that village, the Akatsuki would make you blossom into a kunoichi stronger than Tsunade herself" Itachi whispered.

Pulling her into an awkward embrace, hot breath caressing her ear as he propositioned her to come with him and abandon her village "N..No do..don't do it Sakura, y..you'll be no better than him if you do" Sasuke grunted out in pain from his broken wrist.

While she stood there in his brother's embrace completely frozen "I..I can't, leave my village impossible" the rosette forced out from between her clenched teeth raising her hands to Itachi's chest and shoving him away.

Leaping back at the same time to gain distance from the older teenager "Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame huh" thank the kami for Jiraiya who decided to arrive on the back of a giant toad summons along with Naruto.

"Sakura-chan are you okay, Teme what happened, who the hell are these people" Naruto panicked afraid for the lives of his friends/family, he was just about to jump down from the toad when Jiraiya gripped the back of his shirt.

Knowing who these people were and exactly what they were after "Not so fast there Sannin, any sudden moves and I'll slice Pinky here to ribbons" Kisame pulled his huge bandage wrapped sword from his back and brandished it at the trapped Sakura.

Who was still in the room, with Itachi Uchiha of all rogues, the sword also blocked the entire doorway "Like I'd let you put a finger on me" Sakura snapped simply body flickering to safety, stopping to grab Sasuke as an afterthought.

Though she really wanted to punt him on his ass for what he'd said to her earlier, right now was not the time for petty squabbles between them when the situation was so serious "Back off Sakura, I'm not leaving until I kill him, he hurt Kakashi, killed our clan" the younger Uchiha struggled.

Finally wiggling free and jumping away from her, mad with anger that had been shoved to the deepest crevices of his mind for nearly five years "Go away you don't interest me right now" the seventeen year old informed, probably looking for an escape route.

It would be hard with a shinobi of Jiraiya's caliber but he and Kisame should be able to pull it off, hopefully "Well get interested" Sasuke snarled charging recklessly again as he stepped out into the hallway, only to be kicked all the way down the hall to slam into a wall.

Naruto and Sakura winced at the cracking sound that echoed in their ears "Idiot, he's no match for Itachi-kun" the blue skinned rogue shook his head with a disgusted snort, watching as the bratty Uchiha charged again.

"Shut up you don't know Sasuke-teme like we do, if anyone can kick that guys ass it's Sasuke" the blue eyed blonde snapped angrily, feigning confidence in Sasuke's abilities when Sasuke was kicked down the hall again.

To slid down a wall barely conscious at that point "I've lived my life fostering hatred just to kill you I won't lose, you better take me seriously Itachi or else" Sasuke growled frustrated that he couldn't even get one hit in on his brother.

"Oi Sakura can't you do something" the white haired sage whispered urgently when the rogue Uchiha shook his head and started slowly down the hallway towards his stubborn brother, who couldn't leave things well enough along.

Emerald orbs snapped to his, gears turning in her brain to think up some sort of plan to help Sasuke out of the sticky situation he'd gotten himself into "Maybe but I'd be putting myself in the line of fire" the pinkette whispered back sadly.

Watching on with horror as Itachi beat Sasuke, taunting him about not having enough hate before pulling back, Sasuke's eyes widened and Sakura realized what Itachi was going to do for the second time, in the next moment she sacrificed herself essentially.

Syncing her chakra up to Sasuke's at the last possible moment and let herself be carried away in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Tsukuyomi" Itachi breathed activating his genjutsu right as he felt Sasuke be ripped away and appear near Jiraiya.

As Sakura took his place, then, then she was screaming as she was tortured within her mind and he took a step back in shock, "Damn Itachi-kun I didn't take you as a tormentor of pink haired brats" Kisame laughed jovially finding amusement out of the situation.

"NOOO SAKURA-CHAN" Naruto screamed in horror struggling against Jiraiya's grip trying to get loose while Sasuke lay there on the floor next to him, eyes just as wide as they'd been before he found himself free of Itachi and not being subjected to that dojutsu.

In the chaos the two rogues got away, "When I said do something I didn't mean sacrifice yourself stupid brat" Jiraiya grumbled finally releasing his gaki of an apprentice to go check on Sakura, who had stopped screaming.

Bloodshot emerald met his gaze as he approached carefully, "So..Sorry Jirai..Jiraiya-sama I kn..know it was..wasn't exactly what you wan..wanted bu..but it wa..was all I co..could co..come up with" Sakura murmured voice hoarse and trembling from the mental trauma she'd just went through.

Jiraiya let his gaze soften "It's my fault for pressuring you into thinking up a plan to help the Uchiha brat, how you holding up" the Sannin shook his head making sure to let the kid know she wasn't the one at fault, before asking how she was.

She sat up slowly with his help "Th..Throat hurts and I'm okay for the most part, it's not like I didn't already have nightmares" the pinkette admitted, raising a glowing green hand to her throat to heal her vocal cords after screaming like bloody murder while in Itachi's dojutsu.

Only becoming visibly angry in the next moment as Sasuke and Naruto inched their way towards her, she was on her feet in a flash "Fuck Sakura what the hell was that for" the ebony haired preteen cradled his cheek as she slapped him full force.

Enough to crack the bone actually "Yeah how come you slapped Sasuke-teme for" the blonde inched away from the duo, Sakura was actually glaring at Sasuke, he'd never seen her that angry at anyone before especially not Sasuke.

"After EVERYTHING We've Been Through, all That I've done for you, YOU dare to call me ANNOYING and tell me to butt out of your life, and who's the self important asshole that would come to me whenever he had a nightmare, obviously not you because I'm so much better than you remember and wouldn't even think to help you through it" Sakura spat.

More furious than she'd ever felt in her entire life with someone, tears streaming down her cheeks from the amount of stress she'd been put through for the last hour, Sasuke felt his heart drop in realization now that his mind was clear he remembered what he'd said in the heat of the moment.

"I can't stress to you enough how sorry I am for saying all that Sakura, it was wrong I know but I was so mad at Itachi and then you said that and I couldn't think straight, I can't take it back, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me just this once" Sasuke lowered his gaze.

Bowing lower than he had for anyone in his entire life, and extremely pale because he realized just how much he'd fucked up, his entire friendship with Sakura might be ruined now and Itachi's taunt about how she could end up hating him came back to haunt him suddenly.

It scared him more than he liked to admit actually off to the side Naruto held his breath as Sakura breathed heavily after her angry rant, still crying, he hated it when she cried, until she raised glowing green hands of medical chakra to heal Sasuke of all his injuries.

Silently accepting Sasuke's apology "Alright then bratty little Uchiha you need to get back to the village or else there are going to be serious consequences you'll have to face for running off like you did" Jiraiya cleared his throat.

And Sasuke's head snapped towards him, face pale and eyes filled with horror "Go on Teme, I'll take care of Sakura-chan until we complete our mission" Naruto shooed Sasuke off, who was clearly reluctant.

Especially when Sakura swayed on her feet, looking like she'd been through literal hell, might as well have been since she'd taken Tsukuyomi on for him, it was a wonder how she was still awake at all when the first time he'd been out for more than four days.

But in the end he left trusting Naruto to keep his promise leaving the three of them alone to find another inn, pay for the damages that had been dealt to the one they were originally in and go to sleep after eating an extremely late dinner.

Jiraiya keeping a silent vigil over the young chunin as they slept for a little while at least, and right as he was contemplating getting some shuteye Sakura sat up with a terror-filled scream, he was just glad he'd placed a sound-proofing tag for this very reason.

As Naruto was startled out of his sleep "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan it's alright, only a nightmare, shh, shh" the blonde was right there at her bedside helping her through the nightmare, because he'd promised the Teme after all.

Sakura trembled and squeezed her eyes shut "I'm okay, I'm okay" the pinkette chanted like a mantra forcing the nightmare to a back-burner to not think about and trying to ignore the all-consuming darkness of the room that threatened to bring flash-backs of that night to her.

Regardless of not smelling blood, the dark had just the same affect on her as the metallic scent did, Jiraiya watched on helplessly unsure of what to do or how to help in the least "Do you want to talk about it Sakura" the Sannin finally asked.

Wondering if she'd be able to, her head snapped to him looking to be on the verge of a mental breakdown before nodding hesitantly "Tsukuyomi showed me Shisui dying by Itachi's hand in the most brutal, bloody way possible" Sakura gasped out.

Managing that much which was a good sign hopefully "What else do you see Sakura-chan" Naruto inquired hesitantly not sure if he really wanted to hear what she'd went through in great detail like she was known to do.

"Aft..After that I..I was strapped down to a table, forced to watch as Itachi murdered everyone I love and care for, my parents, you, Sasuke, all our friends, Shibi-sensei an..and Sh..Shino-kun before torturing me, finally ending with my death" the rosette finally choked out.

When several minutes went by where she didn't say a single thing, merely staring blankly ahead, which she was doing again now that she'd said more about what her nightmare had entailed, thankfully not going into gory detail this time.

Though he was still pretty horrified "Think you can go back to sleep Sakura" the white haired Sannin prodded lightly not daring to be forceful, but he knew if she didn't at least try, she'd be of no use on the mission.

It was clear that she was unsure if she would actually be able to go to sleep until Naruto had an epiphany "Here Sakura-chan, I noticed you didn't pack it so thought I'd pack it for you" Naruto rifled through his pack for a couple of minutes.

Before he emerged with a very familiar object "O..Oh Naruto that was unbelievably kind of you" Sakura hiccuped as the dam broke and tears flooded from her eyes as she took her chakra powered lava lamp from all those years ago.

Followed by a nightlight that he plugged in at her bedside, it was enough though as she lay back down on the comfortable bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders and snuggling down, five minutes later she was out like a light.

Naruto rubbed his nose feeling mighty proud of himself for thinking ahead like that "You to gaki get some rest for tomorrow alright" Jiraiya snorted just glad that things seemed to be working out though he felt like an ass for ever making the girl go through something like that.

Eventually though he did settle down on the bed that was in the inn room, just glad that Sakura was even sleeping for now, and closed his eyes to get some shut eye in the wee early morning hours of the night.


	25. Unraveled Truths & the High Stakes Bet

"By the way Sakura-chan how much do your weights, weigh now" Naruto asked the following morning after a stressful night, Sakura looked awful with her hair sticking out in every which direction while she tried to tame it.

Deep purple bags under her eyes that were bloodshot and clearly run down "Huh oh uh right I think I'm up to forty five pounds, every two weeks I go up ten and the day before yesterday I got new ones" Sakura jolted into a more aware state at his sudden question.

This was news to Jiraiya who hadn't even realized she was wearing weights let alone ones that were that much "Just how exactly are you even lifting your arms with over a hundred and eighty pounds of extra weight, let alone even moving at all" Jiraiya gaped.

Sakura cracked the first smile they'd seen since yesterday "Chakra enhanced strength Jiraiya-sama, I spent a month fine-tuning my chakra control for this very reason after, though I'm still not on Tsunade-sama's level unfortunately but I can use mid-level chakra enhanced attacks" the pinkette announced.

Proud of herself for accomplishing that much "Because there's always room for improvement" the blonde Uzumaki piped in knowing how she felt about training, the woman who'd helped her for her round had taught her that.

Her lips curved up into a kind smile nodding in tandem with what he said while Jiraiya shook his head "Anyway are you finished with that mop you call hair" the white haired sage raised a brow at the thigh length wavy locks.

As if realizing she'd been distracted from her initial task, Sakura hurriedly yanked a brush through her hair, forgoing twisting it up in a braid for once, stowing away her grooming kit when she was done and shouldering her pack afterwards.

Now she was done, though her eyes still looked horrible, while she looked like she was ready to crash again "Right then let's move out" Jiraiya ordered taking charge of the two Chunin, though he did wonder if he should send Sakura back to Leaf.

It was a fleeting thought because he had the sinking suspicious that she would argue with him over that decision "I forgot to ask, yesterday Sakura-chan did you find any information on that Tsunade lady's whereabouts" Naruto suddenly remembered their mission.

When they started from the outpost town to the next most likely "Er no, everywhere I stopped in said they hadn't seen her for years in these parts" Sakura frowned, it didn't mean that she was going to give up though.

Plus there was always the network of contacts to think about as well, then as an afterthought she bit her lip "Jiraiya-sama is it alright if I set up a communication system between the three of us" the rosette inquired seriously.

Jiraiya raised a brow in confusion "What Sakura-chan means is that each of us will carry one of her spider summons with us at all times, this will allow us to remain in contact and relay information to each other in case we're separated" the blonde explained.

Knowing because he was use to it "Very well if you think it will help Sakura" the Toad Sage shrugged, not having realized the girl even had summons and watched curiously as she swiped blood down her palm.

And flashed through a set of hand signs to summon three little spiders "Irome you can partner with me, Kafu with sensei" Naruto grinned scooping his usual summons partner into his hand, while Kafu crawled onto Jiraiya.

Leaving Shiruki to Sakura "Trust me Jiraiya-sama my summons are very reliable" Sakura assured the Sannin as he looked dubiously at where Kafu had hidden himself no doubt, doubting whether or not they'd be useful.

"On your say so Sakura" Jiraiya sighed leading the way forward again on their way to another outpost town in hopes to focus on something other than what happened yesterday, he sighed, wishing he hadn't stood there like an idiot.

Quiet settled around them after that as they walked, extra caution in their gaits, and going at a quicker pace than how they'd initially set out, exiting the first outpost town that was just an hour away from their village.

They walked for hours yet again, only making a couple of pit-stops for bathroom breaks or something to eat, it was on one of these breaks that Naruto remembered suddenly "Nearly forgot but here's your camera back Sakura-chan that your clone gave to me" the blonde grinned.

Pulling the camera from his pouch, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes "What would you need a camera for kami please tell me you didn't" the white haired shinobi scowled unamused as it clicked in his mind that she'd had the gall to snap a photo of him during Naruto's little prank.

Her lips twitched fighting down the laughter "You have to admit it was a pretty good prank Jiraiya-sama" the pinkette snickered hastily sealing her camera away to avoid having the Sannin delete that incriminating photo.

It's not like she really showed them to anyone after all but she liked to have keepsakes, the Sannin scowled further "Fine you can keep it, but if I catch you flashing that thing around I'll break the damn camera" Jiraiya warned.

"Believe me Jiraiya-sama you don't have to worry, no one will see that photograph except for us here" Sakura assured polishing off the can of beans she was munching on, it was something of a favorite of hers to eat while out on a mission.

After her was Naruto who popped up first, dusting his clothes off "Sakura-chan's pretty secretive about things, though one time she did hand out framed photographs, that was back when we were nine" Naruto piped in as well.

Remembering the various pictures they'd all received courtesy of Sakura and Sasuke, favorite moments from their class trip, even their old academy sensei had gotten a photograph of all of them in front of the famous castle in Tanzaku Town.

Jiraiya blinked "Framed photographs geez Sakura did you feel generous or something, how did you manage that I'm sure that it had to be expensive" the Toad Sage snorted incredulously, not really believing the kid had done something that kind.

"Won at a kid friendly gambling game, third place prize was about 1,000 ryo, shoot be right back" the rosette informed then cringed as nature called, ducking into the brush super fast, and when she was done cleaned up after herself.

She was just about to return when a hand curled around her arm and pulled her into a sturdy chest and as she was going to let out a scream another hand pressed over her mouth "Calm down Sakura-san" Itachi's voice whispered.

Mind whirling Sakura couldn't help the flinch as she tried to shy away from the teenager "I know I'm the last person you want to see probably or hear from but I had to make sure you were alright" the Uchiha heir spoke evenly.

No doubt struggling with the guilt of what he'd done "Don't worry about it Itachi-san, your mission to infiltrate the Akatsuki and get us valuable information is important so you had to keep up appearances" Sakura breathed in a soft voice.

At that she was turned around to face him properly "Should I even ask how you know that" Itachi sighed, eyes as warm as she remembered though she could see the stress eating away at him from all the guilt he carried around with him.

"We got Danzo for you, Sasuke and me, detailing how he ordered you to undertake this mission but not for the reasons you think, anyway I have to go Itachi-san otherwise Jiraiya-sama will worry and probably come after me to find out what's taking so long" the rosette admitted.

Saying that as an afterthought, "Of course you did, by the way those suit you" the seventeen year old chuckled lightly, touching a fingertip gently to the earrings before vanishing in a flurry of crows, another clone, before she turned and hurried out of the brush.

"Man you sure took forever Sakura-chan" the blonde Uzumaki whined, she snorted lightly and whacked him over the back of the head gently, which quieted him down instantly, Jiraiya was relieved about that and led the way forward again.

Until they reached another town, this one a whole day away from Hidden Leaf "We'll split up like before, blonde gaki with me, Gamakiri will go with you Sakura, I won't have what happened yesterday repeat understand" Jiraiya warned as he summoned one of his summons.

Clearly already forgetting about the tiny spider attached to his shoulder not that she was gonna complain though, the time and meeting place was decided on in the next moment, "Meet you later Sakura-chan" Naruto waved as he and Jiraiya headed off.

"Gamakiri-san let's go this way shall we" Sakura pointed in the opposite direction knowing that she'd probably be the only one working her ass off looking for information on Tsunade again, and there was that fleeting thought of using the contacts before she shook it off.

Purple eyes narrowed on her "Just what are you to Jiraiya-honey, this isn't an honor he often gives, making me defend such a, such a, oooh your cute what with your lovely pink hair and glistening green eyes" Gamakiri started chattering a mile a minute.

Not trusting her in the least at first, proving to have deep loyalty to his summoner, before noticing her key features "Er thank you Gamakiri-san and I'm not really anything to him, I actually get the feeling he doesn't like me, but it's for a mission and something bad happened yesterday" the pinkette sighed.

Feeling run down "Here sweetie let Gamakiri-chan carry you around so you don't have to walk" the toad offered, Sakura blinked at him, then climbed on, not bothered or disgusted about having to touch him in the least.

With that they were off "Let me off there Gamakiri-san, our mission target likes to drink so I have to check out every bar in the town" Sakura requested eight minutes later as she spotted the first bar since they'd entered the second outpost town.

"Just call me Gamakiri-chan please sweetie and good luck I hope you find information on whoever it is your looking for" Gamakiri patted her cheek with his webbed feet and gently ushered her into the bar.

She was very nearly hit when someone threw an empty bottle at her "Children aren't allowed now get out" yet again another obtuse bartender/owner probably, but she squared her shoulders and marched towards the bar anyway.

"I might be a child yes, yet I'm also a shinobi, I'm on a mission to find Lady Tsunade, you wouldn't happen to have heard anything about her lately would you have" the fuscia haired teen flashed her i.d. at the man.

Hoping that she would receive good news this time, only to have that hope dashed rather quickly "No now get out" the man scoffed irritated that she'd disregarded his order the first time, the second time though she bowed and hurried from his bar.

Apparently she'd really only been in there to ask him that particular question, and he watched as she climbed onto the back of a toad of all things and took off down the streets, searching out more bars probably, Tsunade had a penchant for drinking as he'd heard.

Or gambling houses as they came across them "Ugh this is getting ridiculous, seriously how can no one have seen or heard from her in ages" Sakura groaned when two hours had gone by and the search had proved fruitless so far.

"What you need sweetie is a delicious meal to perk you right up and get back some of that fighting spirit" Gamakiri clapped his webbed feet together and nudged her in the direction of a food stall that sold some of her favorite things coincidentally.

Jade eyes lit up and Sakura was off like a projectile weapon as she realized that it had been quite a few hours since she'd eaten anything more than just a can of beans, the first thing at the stall she got was pickled plum rice-balls with squid shumai, followed by horumon and nankotsu.

Getting plenty to share with Gamakiri to of fried insects such as grasshoppers and grub-worms having a distinct feeling that the toad would like them even if she didn't "Thanks Gamakiri-chan, also for you" the pinkette held out the covered bowl.

Violet eyes widened "Oh thank you sweetie your so sweet" the toad latched onto her a second later hugging her tight which brought a smile to her face before they found a place to sit and eat, Gamakiri even going so far as to share just as much as she shared.

Though she wasn't a big fan of fried insects that was to say the least, at least she'd tried them that's what counted "How about we look for public onsens next" Gamakiri suggested when they finished their late afternoon meal and cleaned up after themselves.

"Not a bad idea Gamakiri-chan, also my name is Sakura, forgot to tell you that earlier" Sakura finally gave the toad her name, but he would probably just keep calling her sweetie not that she really minded it any.

It was refreshing and at a pace she could stand as she climbed onto his back, to search some more around town before eventually giving up "Maybe tomorrow Sakura-sweetie" the toad pat her gently on the shoulder, disappearing in a plume of smoke as the summoning wore off.

"Yeah thanks Gamakiri-chan" the rosette waved, heading into the inn that had been chosen alone because those two were late for the second day in a row, rented a room and flopped down on a bed when she entered it, dropping her pack to the floor as she did so.

Struggling to keep her eyes open before they closed and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep "Must have been tired poor Sakura-chan" the familiar voice of the knucklehead blonde drew her from her nap probably only twenty or so minutes later.

"Leave her to sleep gaki, heaven knows she needs it after what she went through yesterday" the Sannin warned sharply in a much quieter tone, sleep beckoned her once more as she drifted off again into a deeper sleep this time.

Only waking two hours later at the smell of curry "Evening Jiraiya-sama, Naruto" Sakura yawned as she sat up, pink hair in complete disarray from her tossing and turning, still looking like she hadn't slept a wink for at least a week and stomach rumbling in hunger.

"Here Sakura-chan, got your favorite sweet potato-vegetable curry and rice, with matcha and plum flavored anmitsu" Naruto pushed a take-out box at her, followed by a little bowl of one of her favorite desserts that she happily dug into.

"So how did the search with Gamakiri go, he didn't give you any trouble did he" Jiraiya questioned when he was sure she would be able to focus on and hold a conversation now that she had some food in her.

At that she lowered the spoon and let out a long suffering sigh "It was awful, we went to all her favorite hot-spots and got nothing, and no, Gamakiri-chan was very kind, he even let me ride on his back" the rosette admitted with a warm smile.

His brows raised at that "Wait, Gamakiri let you ride on his back, just what did you do to him" the Toad Sage asked incredulously, because that damnable toad didn't like anyone but him, that's why he didn't summon Gamakiri on missions often when he had other companions.

"Err he actually took a liking to my hair and eyes, kept calling me sweetie and stuff, told me to call him Gamakiri-chan to" the pinkette laughed sheepishly, hoping that it was alright and she wasn't going to be told she couldn't.

Jiraiya let out a groan "Is it actually a bad thing that he took a liking to Sakura-chan, that way in case of emergencies we know we can rely on him to protect her if she gets hurt and needs to heal herself really fast" the blonde Uzumaki butt in to the conversation.

The brat had a point he had to concede to that much "Expect Gamakiri to become your regular searching partner then" Jiraiya announced, kind of pleased because now Gamakiri had someone else to focus on that wasn't him with his unwanted affections.

While it seemed like Sakura didn't mind the toad's forwardness and accepted every little strange quirk about Gamakiri "Understood Jiraiya-sama" Sakura saluted, digging into her anmitsu dessert now that she could.

Humming happily at the matcha and plum flavor "You really like anmitsu huh Sakura-chan" Naruto sat watching her munch on the dessert for what seemed forever, savoring the flavors thoroughly it seemed.

And she nodded "Absolutely Naruto and pickled plums don't forget about that" the fuscia haired teen grinned, worries miles away for the moment, then when she was done cleaned up after herself, before vanishing into the bathroom.

Naruto blinked "One of these days I'm going to ask how it is she got that weird I swear" the blonde sighed, Mebuki and Kizashi were way laid back compared to their daughter, who took things way to seriously sometimes.

Like packing "Haven't you two been friends since what that day in the Hokage Estate, how could you not know how she got the way she did then" the white haired shinobi frowned in confusion hearing the mutterings of his gaki apprentice waited for a nod then continued his questioning.

The boy shrugged "Despite that Sakura-chan's always been closest with Sasuke-teme and Shino, I don't know everything about her like you think though ero-sennin" Naruto huffed in frustration, using that nickname just to stop being questioned.

It did the trick as Jiraiya's eyebrow visibly twitched "Stop calling me that stupid gaki" Jiraiya grumbled turning away from the blonde and missing the look of relief in the boys eyes, until Sakura emerged from the bathroom.

Wearing one of the inn's yukata's, long pink hair trailing after her, Naruto zipped off ahead of Jiraiya to take his evening shower, while Sakura plopped down on the bed she'd chosen, cracking open a book to read.

Lava lamp in her lap and nightlight ready to be plugged in as she got absorbed in her book, Jiraiya watching her out of the corner of his eyes as he set up the sound-proofing seal and traps to protect the room while they slept.

Fourteen minutes later Naruto exited the bathroom and Jiraiya finally took his turn at showering as the blonde flopped down on his own chosen bed for the night, pulling out the fuinjutsu book Sakura had lent him, on extremely advanced seals to read as well.

Until Jiraiya cleared his throat and point blank told them to go to bed "Goodnight then Jiraiya-sama, Naruto" Sakura murmured softly stowing her book away and plugging in her nightlight, snuggling down underneath the blankets to get some shut eye.

That night she didn't wake from any horrendous gory nightmare that ended with her death, though Sakura did toss and turn a lot, clearly still experiencing some nightmares, just not enough to scare her up out of her sleep like the first night.

And when it was the following morning, she looked just as terrible as she had the day before, Jiraiya grimaced wondering how the girl was even functioning at that point "I'm no therapist Sakura, but if you want to talk I'm all ears" the Toad Sage told her.

"Right of course I understand" the rosette nodded quietly, not really talking, he was sure she would when she felt like it anyway and he watched as she readied herself to leave, twisting her hair up that morning into a braid and strapping weights onto her arms and legs.

Before wrapping the most peculiar wraps he'd ever seen around each of her limbs, they were dark in color and seemed to almost be made of spider webbing that was it he realized, her spiders summons had made those wraps.

Perhaps she was a lot more reliable than he'd initially thought, which meant that he'd made an ass out of himself from the moment they'd met officially anyway "Come on let's go, the sooner we find this Tsunade lady the sooner we can go home" the blue eyed blonde sulked.

Wishing this mission was over already, he was almost certain that Sakura was most likely wanting the mission to be done as well so she could have another therapy session, maybe while he was at it, he might as well schedule one for himself, he felt he needed it after all that had happened already.

None of them spoke merely grabbing take-out on their way from the outpost town to eat as they walked, getting further and further away from the Hidden Leaf Village, the farthest Sakura and Naruto had ever gone actually.

As they found themselves setting up camp outside for the night, nearby a natural hot-spring "So far we've found nothing on her Jiraiya-sama, how sure are you that Tsunade-sama is actually in these parts around Hidden Leaf" Sakura frowned.

Stoking the fire absentmindedly, itching to go take a bath but Jiraiya had called a meeting "I could be wrong Sakura, however my gut feeling tells me she's near, how near I don't know, anyway tomorrow I'm going to get gaki's training started" Jiraiya grimaced.

Knowing she was frustrated with the lack of information on Tsunade's whereabouts "Awesome does that mean your gonna teach Sakura-chan something to sensei" Naruto bounced in excitement wondering what the older male was going to teach him.

Jiraiya chuckled softly "Only if she wants to, yes Sakura you can go take a dip in that hot-spring now, take Gamakiri with you though" the Sannin warned quickly summoning the toad in question, who hopped off after the young girl.

"I promise I won't take to long" the pinkette waved disappearing in the direction of the heated spring an excited skip in her step eager to let her stress melt away in hot water, she loved baths after all and this would be one of her all time favorite baths.

Naruto sniggered under his breath "Yeah sure Sakura-chan" the blonde shook his head in amusement, she was probably going to take quite a while, imagine his surprise though when thirty minutes later she came back, hair dripping wet and looking relaxed.

Before they all curled up in their sleeping bags for once as the fire was put out and went to bed, only to be woken bright and early the next morning by the smell of cooking meat, "First Sakura since what I'm going to teach her is easy" Jiraiya turned to Sakura first when they were done eating.

"Go ahead and take your hair out of that braid Sakura, it's a good thing it's so long, then these hand signs Ninja Art: Hair Senbon Jutsu" the white haired male instructed, sharpening his hair into spikes much like a porcupine and shooting a barrage of hair needles at a target.

Sakura watched with wide eyes and when the jutsu ended Jiraiya faced her again "My turn right…Ninja Art: Hair Senbon Jutsu" Sakura blew out a breath, nervous under his scrutiny as she went through the hand signs to perform the jutsu.

Literally feeling as her hair hardened into sharp points, it was strange she mused, as sharp hair needles shot from her head to a target twenty or so feet away with deadly accuracy "Holy crap Sakura-chan that was scary" Naruto gulped.

Realizing in that moment exactly how good her aim was when not a single one missed the target "Mm I guess so Naruto, however that wasn't at it's fullest potential, I have to practice some more" the rosette frowned lightly.

Knowing she hadn't used nearly enough chakra in that first try "It was still scary though Sakura-chan" the blonde shuddered as Jiraiya wandered over to him, leaving Sakura to continue practicing her newest jutsu.

While he was taught a very complicated jutsu that had been created by the Fourth Hokage, called the Rasengan, Sakura no doubt listening to the lecture with rapt attention, multi-tasking in a sense and probably already understanding the mechanics of the jutsu.

"There are three steps Naruto, first rotation, second power and third combining the first two steps into a solid form in order to do this" Jiraiya instructed, demonstrating the rasengan for his apprentice who stood before him blue eyes wide in awe.

Blasting all the way through a tree with the jutsu that swirled to life in the palm of his hand "Am I really gonna be able to learn this" Naruto frowned worried that it was going to be a to complicated of a jutsu for him.

Jiraiya scoffed "Course you are gaki, because you have the guts to never give up remember" the Toad Sage poked the boy in the chest, right where his heart lay, then filled up a balloon with water and handed it to him.

Sakura narrowed her eyes "Naruto has to pop it doesn't" Sakura guessed, curious herself when the Sannin smirked, filling another balloon with water and holding it out to demonstrate how to complete the first step of learning the Rasengan probably.

In less than a second it got all bumpy inside the balloon and Sakura felt Jiraiya concentrating his chakra into the water inside before it exploded "Hold on a minute how did you do that" the blonde complained not understanding.

"Use your chakra to pop the water-balloon Naruto" was all the fuscia haired teen said, going back to practicing the jutsu Jiraiya had taught her and leaving him to his own training, until she decided to call it quits on the hair senbon jutsu.

And sit down after retrieving her advanced fuinjutsu book from Naruto's pack to study the seals within, even going so far as to practice drawing some that looked interesting, it was an hour or two later that someone stumbled across the three of them.

"If you don't want girly to die you'll hand over all your valuables and any money you have on you" the bandit foolishly held the lone girl at weapon point, Sakura rolled her eyes, then glanced sideways to Shiruki who was situated on her shoulder.

The little spider did as silently commanded by leaping onto the bandits arm and biting down, injecting her venom into his bloodstream "I'm warning you gah ahhhhhhhhhh what the hell why does my arm burn all of a sudden" the bandit started screaming.

Dropping in the next moment to roll around on the ground in agony before vomiting as the venom worked it's course through his body "What happened, one minute he's got a sword to your neck, next he's on the ground screaming" Jiraiya asked in confusion.

"My spider summons all of them are venomous, one bite from the little ones is enough to cause fever and vomiting in a person, while the leader of the summons can kill with a single bite" Sakura answered simply cracking open her book again.

Jiraiya shuddered taking care of the bandit "Believe me sensei, Sakura-chan is not afraid to use her summons" Naruto cringed remembering the long line of people that she'd had Shiruki or one of the other spiders bite.

Even going so far as to have her spiders slick their venom all over her weapons, that Itachi guy should feel lucky that she didn't throw any of her weapons at him, he would be having a hellish few days no doubt if she had.

"I guess Sarutobi-sensei was right your pretty reliable, also sorry for making an ass out of myself that day" the Sannin apologized for how he'd acted on that first day, Sakura nodded in understanding a small smile on her lips as she waved it off.

"No worries Jiraiya-sama I can understand really, Naruto's your apprentice you didn't want anyone else getting in the way of that" the rosette shrugged lightly, focusing on her book in the next moment.

While Naruto returned to his training "Gah I can't get it to pop or do anything" the blonde whined two hours later when it was dinner time, they'd started walking about an hour beforehand and they were close to their third town.

That didn't mean they weren't still camping out under the stars though, and it also meant that they would be going without a bath for the night since there were no natural hot-springs around this time, Sakura sighed and shook her head at his whining.

Determined to ignore it for the time being as she incorporated the transparency seal Naruto had found into a barrier formula that she'd come up with for Shino to use in the future if he wanted, until suddenly Naruto was right there pouting with hope in his baby blue eyes.

"Come on Naruto at least try to figure it out on your own, I can't do all the work for you all the time you know" Sakura sighed, she loved him like a brother yes, but he couldn't keep relying on her so much it would prove disastrous one of these days if she wasn't around.

The pouting got worse at her comment and she was just about to lay him out "You know Sakura is right Gaki, you can't always depend on her to explain things you don't understand" Jiraiya commented from off to the side.

Watching on with curiosity in his gaze as Sakura worked on the barrier formula "Fine guess I'll try for a couple more days, then will you help me Sakura-chan if I don't figure it out" Naruto sulked unhappily as he grabbed the water-balloon to keep practicing.

Until Jiraiya made them go to bed again and the next day after breakfast and walking for a couple hours they were in their third town "We'll meet up at that hotel around dinner time, here's Gamakiri for you Sakura" the Sannin pointed at the hotel across the street from where they were standing.

And summoned the toad "See you later Sakura-chan and good luck on your search" the blonde waved following after Jiraiya as they headed in the opposite direction, while he was hard at work on trying to pop the bloody water-balloon with his chakra.

"Oh sweetie you look much better" was the first thing the toad said noticing that the bags beneath her eyes were slowly going away as she tossed and turned less in her sleep now that the nightmares were starting to fade.

She nodded lightly "Thanks Gamakiri-chan, we're doing the same thing we did last time okay" the pinkette smiled kindly at the toad while climbing onto his back, then they were off around the town, searching out gambling houses, onsens and bars for any information on Tsunade.

Ending up about as empty-handed as last time in the span of two hours "Don't get so discouraged sweetie I'm sure we'll find something on her eventually" Gamakiri assured seeing the defeated expression taking over Sakura's face again.

Turning his head this way and that looking for a food stall that would hopefully cheer her up "I know Gamakiri-chan, but it's just so hard, what if we end up not finding anything at all and a whole month passes by, I don't want to be on this mission forever" Sakura sighed.

Gamakiri paled as much as a toad could pale "How about we eat first and leave that sort of conversation for Jiraiya-honey" the toad finally spotted what he was looking for and ushered Sakura towards it gently.

"Right sorry I don't mean to be such a downer" the fuscia haired teen grimaced ordering a bunch of odd food to try, getting some for her toad companion like she had before and afterwards finding a place to sit and eat.

He didn't blame her in the least "You know I think Jiraiya-honey might like you more than you think sweetie, why else would he summon me so often, he wants to keep you safe which means he cares" Gamakiri piped in suddenly.

And her eyes went wide before twinkling with a glimmer of happiness "Maybe your right Gamakiri-chan, he even apologized the other night to" Sakura let her worries melt away with good food and easy going conversation.

Then she was up on her feet and being carried around the town searching for any scrap of information, it was on one of her last stops to a gambling house that trouble caught up with her "Hey you the brat with pink hair, you the one going around looking for information on Tsunade" a man called out to her suddenly.

From another gambling house across the street, why there were two so close by she didn't know but his tone made her instantly wary "And if I were to say yes, why would you want to know" emerald orbs narrowed.

While the toad that was with her stood back out of the way letting her handle things for the moment "Well your in luck girly I happen to have some information for ya, that is if you can beat me at a game" he held out two dice a smirk on his face.

Her eye twitched and Sakura wondered inwardly just how gullible this guy thought she was "No thanks I'm not stupid enough to trap myself like that, my mission leader however would love to hear what you say about his teammate, Jiraiya-sama himself" Sakura raised a brow.

Classic baiting technique, distract him until he slipped up and revealed the truth "Come on kid don't you want to find out what I know right here, right now" he taunted instead, Sakura grit her teeth, great just what she needed.

With a long suffering sigh she glanced to Shiruki, who began communing with Kafu "Err Jiraiya-sama is indisposed at the moment Sakura-sama, at a club surrounded by women" Shiruki admitted three minutes later.

Even Gamakiri was surprised when chakra exploded outwardly from Sakura, who had a very pissed off expression on her face, the man saying he had information on Tsunade skedaddled as the girl turned on her heel and stomped angrily in the direction she felt her mission companions chakra.

Leaving behind little cracks in the ground as chakra leaked out of her in angry furious waves "Don't take this personally Gamakiri-chan but I want to punch your summoner in his face right now" the fuscia haired teen growled.

Gamakiri nodded sagely in understanding when they stopped before a club for adults, he hastily vanished in a plume of smoke in the next moment as well when Sakura marched through the doors looking like a living wraith.

Naruto choked on his spit when she of all people stormed into the club "Uh ero-sennin we've got trouble in the form of Sakura-chan" Naruto whispered urgently on the Sannin who was surrounded by pretty ladies at the moment.

Thankfully though Jiraiya did listen to him for once, only to go as pale as a ghost in the next second "Holy fuck why the hell is she angry" Jiraiya gaped at the glint of fury in jade irises that were usually warm and full of life.

Then Sakura was upon them, every female in the vicinity running for their lives at the killing intent that swamped the club "Want to tell me what your doing here when I'm working my ass off looking for information on Tsunade-sama" Sakura hissed.

Pissed off to the max, Jiraiya edged backwards away from the angry thirteen year old, laughing awkwardly and just a tiny bit afraid for his life "The same as you Sakura-chan trying to find information on that lady's whereabouts but I don't know how" the blonde piped in.

Just glad that she didn't turn on him for even speaking up, Sakura paused though seeing beneath the underneath "Informants" the pinkette said one word and Jiraiya nodded seriously seeing her calm down without having to do something drastic.

Sakura sighed feeling like an idiot "Anyway what are you doing her Sakura" the white haired shinobi questioned just glad that he hadn't gotten punched clear to Sand for seemingly goofing off, Naruto was still oblivious though and that's all that mattered.

"A guy was practically taunting me saying he had information on Tsunade, saying he would tell me what he knows only if I played a game with him, that involves gambling" Sakura informed seriously reigning in her chakra.

Pleased that he was taking her serious when he snapped to "Come on knucklehead, show us the way Sakura" Jiraiya ordered taking charge, if someone had information, he was going to find out no matter what it took.

"Kami you looked terrifying back there Sakura-chan" Naruto shivered, learning more about his friend/adoptive sister than he ever had before, apparently she was prone to angry outbursts like the rest of them, she was just better at hiding her emotions.

She smiled sheepishly leading the way to the gambling house "I see you got your mission leader like you said you were going to do" the man from before was within, and he went slightly pale at the sight of her.

Jiraiya had to keep from laughing as he realized that she'd literally blown up in front of this person and now he was scared of a little thirteen year old girl "If you have information cough it up, it's important we find Tsunade as soon as possible" the Sannin demanded.

And the man was all to happy to do so "Man what a bummer, all we got out of that was that she'd been here a couple weeks ago, not where she was going or anything" the blonde Uzumaki huffed unhappily on their way to the hotel as the information proved to be worthless to them in the end.

"Hey at least it's more than we knew before and any information is good news, cause now we know that she's been here, two weeks ago sure, chances are she's still nearby" the pinkette pat him on the shoulder glad that she'd went to get Jiraiya in the first place.

Now they could broaden their search to this particular area of Fire Country for Tsunade and hopefully find her still in the country, five minutes later they reached the hotel that had been chosen and rented a room for the night.

The next day they set forth, Naruto managing the first step of the Rasengan and moving on to the second as they headed for another town further away from Leaf than before, there were a lot of towns bordering Leaf it seemed.

For days they stayed in one town, when more information turned up, while Naruto practiced popping a rubber ball with chakra, the power step of the Rasengan, Jiraiya taking the lead on the search this time by using his connections and informants network to find leads on Tsunade.

Since it had only been two weeks since someone had seen her, before they knew it two weeks went by on the mission on their parts as well "We're heading for the next town" Jiraiya told them one morning as they were eating breakfast.

"Already, but I haven't even popped the stupid ball yet" Naruto scowled frustrated and Sakura still refused to help him, though he knew she probably already knew what he had to do, but like Jiraiya had said, he couldn't depend on her to explain everything to him.

Which meant figuring out the second step for himself "You'll have time to concentrate later I'm sure Naruto" Sakura reminded gently, no longer tossing and turning her sleep by that point, which meant no more bags under her eyes and she was actually getting sleep during the night.

Jiraiya chuckled ruffling his gaki of an apprentice's hair and sending the lone girl on the mission an amused grin while they packed up and paid the rent for the inn room they'd been using for the last couple of weeks and headed off for another town.

That would hopefully wield results for their search this time, it took them two days because Naruto wanted to practice, in the end managing to pop the rubber ball on the second day figuring out how to build up his chakra to make it explode.

And when they did arrive Sakura realized where they were "Tanzaku Town, remember Naruto, this is the place we went for our class field trip ooh look they even have a festival….hey wait a minute where's the castle" the rosette immediately noticed something wrong.

"Hey your right Sakura-chan it's gone, you don't suppose they tore it down do you" the blonde asked in confusion, glancing the direction he barely remembered the castle being and not finding it there, while Jiraiya went rigid.

It clicked into her mind at the same time it clicked into his "No Gaki, that castle was like a national historic site for this town, something happened and my guess it was Tsunade throwing an angry fit about sucking at gambling again, she has quite the temper you know" the Sage mused.

Probably making guesses at that point as he herded the two Chunin in that direction, when they arrived on scene they found the signs of a scuffle, a wall destroyed, blood on the ground and a scale from a snake, residual chakra left behind as well.

Still fresh "Kunoichi from grass but why u..unless….that's Orochimaru I bet, who else uses snakes, of course I should have known" Sakura immediately recognized one chakra, the others unknown to her and realized something she hadn't during the Forest of Death.

When they'd been attacked relentlessly by a kunoichi from Hidden Grass, but now she could see it all along that person had been Orochimaru using a disguise to infiltrate the exams, it explained why the kunoichi had been obsessed with Sasuke.

"You mean to tell me that you met Orochimaru face to face and came out alive" Jiraiya snapped in her direction from where he was inspecting the blood, trying to figure out who it might have belonged to while she'd ignored it basically.

Blood and her didn't really mix unless she was trying to save someone's life "She kicked him in the face and Shino's barrier blew up in his face, back then though he was a girl, how is that even possible" Naruto grinned before looking confused.

Sakura shrugged when Naruto looked at her because she didn't have a bloody idea either "Kicked him in the face man you are one gutsy girl, anyway chances are if he sought out Tsunade, he wants her to heal something, she should still be here, let's spread out and search" the Sannin ordered.

Flashing through a set of hand signs to summon Gamakiri "Guess we'll meet up later" the blonde waved as the back of his shirt was snagged and he was dragged off after Jiraiya to search for Tsunade who hopefully hadn't left Tanzaku yet.

"Come on Gamakiri-chan, we have to move fast" the fuscia haired Chunin climbed onto the toad's back and he took off, they made many stops, searching each tavern, bar, casino, hot-spring, gambling house thoroughly for any sign of Tsunade.

Only to end up just as empty handed as before "Don't give up sweetie, we'll find her I'm sure of it" Gamakiri tried to keep the girl's spirits lifted as the day was winding down and the sun was sinking low on the horizon.

But they kept up their search until they couldn't ignore their rumbling stomachs anymore "I'm just going to make a pit-stop in there" Sakura said climbing down from his back for the millionth time it seemed and disappearing into a restaurant.

Ignoring all the chatter as she waited in line until her sensitive ears caught a familiar name being uttered "Lady Tsunade please let's just leave you can seriously be thinking about accepting Orochimaru's offer can you" a woman cried desperately.

Sakura slipped out of line at that, searching the restaurant frantically and finally catching sight of their mission target "Shiruki inform Jiraiya-sama that I've found Tsunade-sama in a restaurant on the east side of Tanzaku Town" the pinkette murmured to her spider summons.

Exiting the restaurant and finding it's name so the Sannin would know "She's in there isn't she, right I'm off sweetie" the toad noticed her wary looks at the restaurant and got a nod for his question before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

"We're here Sakura-chan, so that Tsunade lady is really inside" Naruto appeared in a flurry of storage seal tags, right alongside Jiraiya, who looked a little disgruntled at the side along body flickering he'd just been subjected to.

Obviously he hadn't known Naruto could body flicker and she itched to take a picture but right now the moment was to serious "Let's go" Jiraiya nodded, leading the way inside the restaurant again and zoning in on his old teammate.

She gripped the straps of her pack in a white knuckled hold as they walked forward together and stopped at the booth Tsunade was sitting at with another woman, Tsunade looked up and her honey orbs widened "Jiraiya what are you doing here with two genin brats" Tsunade jumped.

Speaking in a surprised tone "Chunin actually Lady Tsunade" Sakura offered carefully not wanting the woman to turn her ire on her, Tsunade's temper was nothing to laugh about after all and she certainly didn't want to be subjected to any chakra enhanced attacks.

Especially not when they'd finally found her after over three weeks of searching, Tsunade glared at being interrupted "Okay why are you here with two Chunin brats then" the honey eyed blonde amended with a scowl.

"To find you of course Tsunade, Sarutobi-sensei is stepping down and he has named you as his successor, the Jonin Council was in agreement as well, you'll start the minute we get back to Leaf" the white haired Sannin informed.

Not beating around the bush "Named me his successor, has Sarutobi-sensei gone senile in his old age or something, I'll tell you what I told him, I'm not coming back, give the position to someone else because that's a fools job" Tsunade snorted harshly, blunt and to the point.

This didn't sit well with Naruto, who's dream was to become Hokage himself and just as thing seemed to be going downhill for them someone walked into the restaurant and stopped at their booth "Lady Tsunade I've done as you asked" a familiar voice.

And Sakura turned her head heart beating painfully in her chest, he seemed to notice her at the same time she fully took him in and went as pale as a ghost, the others in the booth went silent at the sudden tension in the air.

As Sakura stood a closed off expression on her face that Naruto knew all to well, she was trying to protect herself from any bad memories, then she was pressing her hand to a person's chest that he was unfamiliar with.

Jiraiya seemed to realize who the guy was just as Sakura disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms looking sick to her stomach "The hell was that about" Naruto frowned in confusion while the unfamiliar guy sat down with a long suffering sigh.

Next to disappear was Jiraiya "Stay put gaki, also Shisui you and I are going to have some words about you being alive, you don't even know the kind of trauma you've put that girl through" Jiraiya glared at the Uchiha he'd thought was dead from how Sakura talked all the time.

Kami that girl adored Shisui and to find out he was alive and had been all this time was probably a blow to her emotional state after experiencing those nightmares induced by the Tsukuyomi that had been used on her and she'd only started sleeping properly at night less than a week ago.

Then he was gone on the search and damn if it was near impossible to find Sakura, who had her chakra suppressed to that of a toads, she was spending to much time around Gamakiri, and when he did happen upon her, she was curled into the smallest ball imaginable sobbing her heart out.

When he knelt down she jumped and flinched away from him, hair like a bloody curtain around her and he couldn't see her face at all "Sakura, emotions have no place on a mission, you have to remain strong for now" the Toad Sage murmured.

He knew she would understand, she was a serious sort of girl after all "I just don't understand why he wouldn't tell me" Sakura cried lifting her head enough so he could see her tear streaked face and bloodshot eyes from all the crying she was doing right now.

"Maybe he had his reasons, like protecting you or that bratty little Uchiha you slapped, people would have been after the both of you to get at him probably" Jiraiya offered in explanation it was all he could come up with on the spot anyway.

And the most probable reason that Shisui wouldn't tell anyone he was still alive though he did wonder how the Uchiha had ended up going around with Tsunade it was something he would have to ask during his interrogation of the man later.

Once the kids had gone to sleep, if they even could, Sakura would probably have nightmares again, it was a never-ending vicious cycle it seemed, Sakura dried her face as best she could "Shouldn't leave Naruto on his own for to long" the pinkette fidgeted.

Wishing she was anywhere but there no doubt as they headed back to the restaurant where Tsunade, Naruto, Shisui and that unknown woman were still waiting "Sakura-chan I'm so, so sorry" Shisui jumped up when they reappeared.

Reaching out but the girl shied away from him, keeping her head down and not meeting his gaze at all "My answer is still no, I'm not coming back" Tsunade commented ignoring the tension in the air even if she was curious about how Shisui and the girl knew each other.

Perhaps she was another surviving Uchiha, a secret one that no one had even known about "Please Tsunade the village needs you, your the only one that can take the position right now until the younger generation is old enough to be considered" Jiraiya pleaded.

This was an absolute nightmare of a mission "H..How about a bet, if we win against you, you have to come back and be Fifth Hokage" Sakura finally spoke up hesitantly again while the silent thus-far Naruto shot her an incredulous look.

But she wasn't one to be deterred it seemed, Tsunade narrowed her eyes on her at that "Oh and what are the stakes if I do accept your challenge of a bet" the honey eyed blonde clasped her hands together hiding a smirk.

Chances are the girl wouldn't stand a chance against her in whatever it was "I'll master chakra enhanced strength in two weeks, if I do you have to come back and take me on as your apprentice" the rosette squared her shoulders in determination knowing she was close to that goal anyway.

While Naruto outright gaped at her before "Me to, I'll master the Rasengan and give all the money I have in my wallet here to you" he jumped in not wanting to be left out, they were both Chunin and he had to take some responsibility for the mission to and not leave everything up to Sakura.

It was clear their willingness to make such high stakes bets had stunned Tsunade into silence until "Very well and I'll even throw in this necklace for blondy if you manage to accomplish both goals set for the bet" Tsunade pointed to the crystal necklace around her neck.

Then the lot of them ate and found a hotel, Sakura ignoring Shisui any time he tried to talk to her, because regardless of Jiraiya's explanation she was still very upset with him, even if she'd never gotten to see him again, knowing that he was alive would have prevented so many nightmares as they settled down to sleep that night.


	26. Reconciliation and Propositions

Sakura didn't get a wink of sleep that night, as her dreams took a turn, now instead of seeing Shisui dead, he was alive and mocking her for being so trusting, that was worse than any other nightmare she'd ever had before.

"Poor kid" Jiraiya sighed when she disappeared out the window to commence with her training, he had no doubt she'd be able to master chakra enhanced strength sure but the emotional turmoil she was going through might put a damper on her control.

Not having complete focus would seriously mess with her but as he'd learned Sakura was more stubborn than Tsunade on a regular day "Did Sakura-chan leave already, but she didn't even eat" Naruto frowned worried about his friend/adoptive sister when he was the last to wake.

"Actually she did gaki, you should eat to then hurry after her" the Sannin shooed the blonde brat off after Sakura, summoning Gamakiri to keep an eye on the two kids, both jumped out the window just as a knock came on the hotel room door.

Upon opening it he found Shisui, who looked disappointed "She's really avoiding me" Shisui sighed letting his shoulders droop, he couldn't blame her really but still just what the hell had she been through that she wouldn't even so much as talk to him, let alone look at him.

Jiraiya lifted a brow unimpressed "How did you survive the massacre" he decided to get on with his interrogation right then and there, Shisui deserved to be avoided right now by Sakura, who was choosing to focus on the mission and not let her emotions interfere with it.

Like he expected she would do once he'd told her that emotions had no place on a mission "Washed up on the bank of Naka River, Shizune-san and Lady Tsunade happened upon me and Shizune saved me, later on she transplanted these eyes into my eye sockets" the Uchiha admitted.

Gesturing to his eyes, it had taken him awhile to get use to them though "Okay and why didn't it occur to you in these past four years that Lord Hokage might like to know that you were alive, so that he could tell Sakura that to keep her from being hurt" Jiraiya demanded.

Making the other man gulp "Because I didn't have the right to keep being in her life, I ruined everything, shoved to many responsibilities on her shoulders" Shisui sighed looking pathetic, acting that way to.

"Foolish, because of you Sakura keeps on going, she won't say anything right now, but from the way she talked about you, she still cared deeply for you, you say you ruined her life, I'd say you helped her flourish into a respectable Chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village" the Toad Sage spat.

Ebony irises widened "I'll never be able to make it up to her will I" the raven haired man put his head in his hands, of course Sakura would never see it that way, she would have argued with him to, but now she might never be able to forgive him for what he'd done.

"Wait that's all you can do until she comes to terms with the fact your still alive, leave her be until then" Jiraiya shrugged callously, Shisui did deserve it after all and Sakura had the mission to focus on, later on was fair game after the goals of the bet had been accomplished.

Shisui nodded silently watching as Jiraiya stalked off to go find Tsunade and entice her into having a drink with him no doubt, he sighed then spread out his senses in hopes of finding Sakura to keep an eye on her while she trained.

It took awhile, several minutes to his absolute frustration until he found her chakra outside Tanzaku Town in the next second he body flickered, masking his chakra as he hid in a tree, only to choke as he found her brutally massacring earthen clones of herself.

Demolishing them into dust practically, arms and legs free of the wraps he'd seen on her the other day which had probably been hiding weights, seemed little Sakura-chan had grown up a lot in over four years, nearly five actually now that he was thinking about it.

He wouldn't admit to Tsunade but Sakura was so close to mastering chakra enhanced strength, maybe not to it's fullest potential, sure but Sakura was already a powerhouse, with her natural talent and chakra control, it probably wouldn't even take her a week if he was being honest.

Two hours later Sakura took a quick break to replenish her chakra "Can you give me a few pointers Sakura-chan" Naruto ran over to her in the next moment having been practicing on the tree's in the area.

A toad watching them "Huh oh sure I guess, you've done pretty well to get that far Naruto, however you aren't containing and keeping the first two steps rotation and power consistent, find a way to do that and you'll have the rasengan down no problem" Sakura smiled.

Deep purple bags under her eyes from lack of sleep "Later on want to go check out the festival with me, maybe we can even get some pictures framed" the blonde requested with a hopeful pout keeping to the promise he'd made Sasuke again to take care of Sakura-chan.

That meant her emotional state to even if it was that Shisui guys fault that she was having nightmares again "Sounds like a plan Naruto" the pinkette threw her head back with a laugh, before popping up from the ground.

Flashing through hand signs as she did so and creating five earth clones, then set out to demolish them, repeating each time she destroyed the previous five clones until she couldn't ignore her rumbling stomach anymore.

Naruto joined her on the ground as she plopped down pulling out several scrolls and making a little fire pit at the same time to cook lunch for the both of them "Say Sakura-chan I know I'm not Ino's old man or anything but if you want to talk about your nightmares I'm here" Naruto said.

Keeping his head down and waiting for the rejection "The heart is an irrational thing Naruto, I don't hate Shisui, however my heart won't let me forget that these past four years I've been mourning him and his reasons for hiding the truth from me manifest in many ways" Sakura sighed.

Lowering the skewer in her hand of roasted vegetables and meat "Like what Sakura-chan, what do you see in your nightmares, beyond blood and death" the blonde prodded gently when it looked like she wouldn't say anymore.

She blew out a breath "Hateful, hurtful words, agonized screams of people I care about, echoing in my ears pleading for me to save them, even as I struggle I can't reach them, being mocked about being to trusting things like that" the rosette admitted.

And he felt horrified on her behalf because he thought he was the only one, while Shisui had to fight down the urge to body flicker and hug her after listening to her explanation "Was it really bad when you were put in that Tsukuyomi jutsu" Naruto asked yet again.

While Shisui choked and inwardly cussed Itachi out for using that jutsu on sweet little Sakura "More horrifying than you know, but I think I'd rather face that again than be put through seeing Shisui mock me in my dreams" Sakura grimaced.

Understanding lit up in baby blue eyes as Naruto realized the trauma she was going through still to this day "You really loved that guy didn't you Sakura-chan" the blonde questioned hesitantly unsure if she would answer this one.

Tear filled emerald met his eyes a second later "With my whole heart, Shisui was the older brother I wanted and never got when my parents said they weren't having any more children after how I turned out, he was the one who taught me the will of fire" the fuscia haired teen nodded.

Fighting back the tears with great struggle "Shouldn't you reconcile with him then, even if he did hide the fact that he was alive from you Sakura-chan, he's alive and that's what's important" Naruto waved his arms.

Not wanting to see her suffer anymore "I will Naruto, eventually just not now, we have to focus on Tsunade-sama first" Sakura rubbed her eyes then polished off the rest of her lunch, popping up from the ground determination glinting in her peridot orbs.

Shisui body flickered when she started training again to find out what the hell had happened "Master Jiraiya care to tell me how Sakura got put in Tsukuyomi, did you three come into contact with Itachi at some point during this mission, happened to overhear her talking about it" Shisui started ranting the moment he found the man.

Sitting with Tsunade having a nice relaxing drink "Well there went the mood" Tsunade sighed knowing the Shisui pretty well, he was weird, almost disturbed in a way, then she caught on to what he was saying and grew furious "How could you let her stay on the mission do you not even know the kind of mental trauma that causes" Tsunade rounded on Jiraiya.

Who grit his teeth and exploded when they stared at him expectantly "You don't think I haven't realized that damn it, I wanted to send her back, but that bloody kid is more stubborn than you are on one of your good days" Jiraiya snapped.

Tsunade and Shisui reeled back "Of course she is, how did it happen though that's what I'm concerned over for the most part" the Uchiha sighed, then re-asked his previous question, he hoped to kami Itachi hadn't done it on purpose.

"He was actually going to put your bratty little cousin Sasuke in the jutsu, but Sakura intervened, it's been hell I'll tell you, bloody hell what that girl has put up with, but she's strong, in mind, heart and body, even when it doesn't seem like it" the Sannin chuckled dryly.

Sue him he'd grown fond of the girl over the past few weeks, while Tsunade gaped "Just how is she even awake though, that jutsu tortures the captured for seventy-two hours, the amount of mental trauma she was put through should have kept her out for at least three weeks" the honey eyed woman frowned.

Jiraiya shook his head "Don't ask me Tsunade, that girl, she's probably use to mental trauma, I would say so after what that Sasuke boy did to her" Jiraiya admitted, remembering all that had been said in the wake of the incident after the two rogues had escaped.

"Sasuke did something to her….." Shisui felt his gut clench painfully and his mouth went dry, he felt sick when Jiraiya nodded, face thunderous, clearly not happy about whatever it was himself and he feared the answer.

Especially when Jiraiya looked him dead in the eye "Called her annoying, told her to butt out of his life, and to stop thinking she was better than everyone else, she slapped him hard enough to crack his cheek, apparently she use to help him through nightmares of the massacre" the Toad Sage explained.

Only the bits and pieces that he knew sure "Wait why would she be helping him through nightmares from the Uchiha Massacre" Tsunade creased her brow in confusion, not understanding a single thing going on anymore.

Shisui was as equally as confused because for all intents and purposes he was dead and Itachi didn't know that he was still among the living which was a good thing because if he ever saw his best friend he was going to kick his ass.

"Would you ask Master Jiraiya, I need to know what the hell has gone on since I've been gone" the Uchiha requested pitifully, something had happened to Sakura and he hadn't been there to protect her like he'd promised.

Kami he felt like a horrible person "I can but there's no guarantee that she'll answer, the one most likely to know is Naruto, he's the one that's been helping her through the nightmares after all, cause she won't talk to me about them" Jiraiya curled his lip up in frustration.

"Right of course cause Sakura-chan has always been different than most kids" Shisui chuckled, while inwardly devising a plan to go behind Sakura's back and talk to the blonde kid she was close to and find out what had gone on for four years.

Then he body flickered to check on the two kids again and found them sitting down for another break, Sakura was healing chakra burns from Naruto's hands so it seemed she'd managed to accomplish one part of her dream.

While the other she was still working ridiculously hard on "You think you could try to teach me medical ninjutsu again Sakura-chan" Naruto pouted suddenly, watching her renewed his determination to learn again.

Seeing her passion for healing, the sparkle of delight she got in her eyes whenever she successfully healed something inspired him "Sure I can Naruto, promise that you won't give up this time okay" Sakura grinned wide.

Naruto nodded his head eagerly in answer "Course Sakura-chan cause that's my motto to never give up and never back down, I'm going to be Hokage someday after all" the blonde grinned just as wide as she had.

Making her laugh "And we'll help you Naruto, Shino, Sasuke, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, plus our sensei's and I, you'll be the best Hokage the Leaf Village has ever seen" the pinkette vowed patting the knucklehead on his back.

It was a wonder how she was even still going with those dark purple bags under her eyes, looking like she was about to crash any minute now, but she turned and started training again, while Naruto wandered away to a still in tact tree.

Shisui made his move then, body flickering, grabbing the blonde and body flickering away in five seconds flat "What the hell do you want can't you see I'm trying to train" Naruto scowled at the Uchiha who'd upset his friend/adoptive sister.

Who held up his hands "Peace Naruto-chan I want to reconcile with Sakura-chan but I don't know all that she's been through since I've been out of the village, keeping a low profile" Shisui cringed realizing that getting information wasn't going to be easy.

Especially when blue eyes narrowed full of suspicion "Why should I tell you anything after the amount of agonizing Sakura-chan has done over you, for a long, long time she wasn't even able to hear your name did you know without crying" the blonde crossed his arms over his chest.

Well that was something he supposed "I know pretending to be dead might not have been the wisest choice to make and I probably would deserve it if Sakura-chan never forgave me either but I at least want to try and make things right with her" the Uchiha admitted.

Looking forlorn and lost "You don't deserve her forgiveness, but that's up to Sakura-chan to decide, she was there you know, when that Itachi guy killed off your entire clan, after that she was never the same, it wasn't until recently that I found she's even been having therapy sessions" Naruto huffed.

Knowing that if Sakura really wanted she would reconcile with Shisui, even if he thought the guy didn't deserve it, "She was there, kami I had no idea" Shisui rubbed his eyes feeling for the girl, and having therapy sessions, just what sort of trauma had she been through these past almost five years.

"There you are Naruto, don't run off like that you'll worry me…." Sakura body flickered in that exact moment trailing off as she caught sight of who else was with the blonde knucklehead, her breath caught in her throat and tears misted her eyes.

Before she bowed her head, shielding her face with her curtain of hair and heart beating painfully in her chest "I was gonna let you know that I was heading back to the hotel" the rosette explained in a strained sounding tone of voice.

And body flickered before either male could get in a single word "If I thought her not being able to hear my name was bad, it's even worse knowing she can't even look at me now" Shisui let his shoulders droop.

"Can't tell you I don't understand, but I do, I know what it's like knowing people can't stand to look at me that was until Sakura-chan became my friend, anyway I'm going to the hotel" Naruto waved body flickering like Sakura had.

Leaving Shisui alone to think for a little while before returning to the hotel himself "Looks like you've really screwed up huh Uchiha" Tsunade laughed when he stared at the door that led into the room that was being rented by Jiraiya, Sakura and Naruto with despair in his gaze.

"If only I'd been strong enough to stop Danzo, then the Uchiha clan wouldn't have had to die, Itachi wouldn't have been burdened with that responsibility and Sakura-chan wouldn't be having to suffer for my mistake" the ebony haired twenty year old sighed.

Tsunade scoffed and carried on down the hall to her own rented room to get some shut eye for the night, it was four days later that things changed "Let's take a break Sakura-chan go see the festival and stop worrying about things for a little while" the blonde Uzumaki piped in that morning.

Meeting Sakura's bright excited gaze "Ooh I might even be able to find some souvenirs to bring back" the fuscia haired teen added, thinking about her parents and the males of her team, even her sensei probably.

She really was the sweetest "Hold up you two, I'd like to go as well if you don't mind, Uchiha, Jiraiya you come with us" the honey eyed blonde they were trying to convince to come back with them stopped them from running off the moment they got done eating.

Jiraiya creased his brow wondering what sort of trick his old teammate was up to now "Fine but don't expect me to participate any" the white haired Sannin rolled his eyes, following the brats out the door and out into the streets of Tanzaku Town to where the parade was going on.

"What are you playing at Lady Tsunade" the Uchiha frowned not liking the gleam in her eyes at all, it meant she was up to something and he was certain he wasn't going to like it in the least, it meant trouble and he would prefer to avoid any sort of trouble right now.

Not like she'd really listen anyway "Nothing, nothing I merely wish to check out the festival, maybe try some games you know" Tsunade waved her hand, an innocent smile on her lips, that neither Shisui or Jiraiya believed.

But they followed her anyway as they trailed after Naruto and Sakura "Jesus just how much can that kid eat" Jiraiya watched in horror as Sakura checked out several food stalls, getting one thing from each of odd cuisine that he'd never seen before and eating it.

Despite having just finished breakfast less than twenty minutes ago "Sakura-chan's always had a large appetite, it's due to her fast metabolism actually from being proactive since a young age" Shisui explained though he was surprised Naruto was keeping up with her.

Proving to have as large an appetite as Sakura did, he let his guard down just then and found himself flat on his back under a large slug, Jiraiya and Naruto whisked away by Tsunade, before she shoved Sakura at him "Reconcile" the woman ordered disappearing on the two of them.

"Easier said than done Tsunade-sama" Sakura grumbled, rubbing her hands together nervously and staring intently at the ground unable to meet Shisui's gaze still after five whole days, it was just so hard and she had no idea what to even say to him.

In the next moment Katsuyu dispelled in a plume of smoke and Shisui sat up feeling gross and ready for a shower, when he went to move away he found a chain adorning his wrist "Great, thank you very much Lady Tsunade" the Uchiha spat.

While Sakura flinched "Damn it I'm not mad at you Sakura-chan, I'm mad at her oh screw it please just look at me Sakura-chan, I'm begging you here" Shisui pleaded not able to take being ignored by the girl anymore, it was to much for him.

Tear filled emerald met his through the curtain of pink hair, he was half a step away from getting on his hands and knee's to beg for her forgiveness when she finally spoke to him "Why, I would have understood if you'd told someone but you didn't, so why" the rosette questioned.

Breaking her silent treatment of the man she still adored so much like a brother "Because I felt like I didn't deserve to be in your life anymore after I abandoned you, lied to you Sakura-chan, my life would have been difficult if I'd stayed in the village because of Danzo" the ebony haired adult said.

Ready to tear his hair out in frustration "Danzo's been sentenced to death, he was found guilty of several crimes, Sasuke and I got the proof necessary to take him out" Sakura admitted flatly unimpressed with how this was going.

Now that she wasn't a kid anymore she could see the countless flaws in Shisui he'd hid so well before from her, he wasn't perfect, no one was and she could understand that now "That was dangerous Sakura-chan" Shisui scolded.

"So is negotiating with a rogue, but I did that to Shisui, and it was to save countless lives, maybe no one knows except for Hokage-sama and a couple others, and maybe Sasuke and I will never be acknowledged for it but you know I'm just fine with that" she crossed her arms over her chest.

This made Shisui realize how much she'd changed since that day in the library, the last one they'd ever spent together before he taught her the body flicker technique, a technique she still used to this very day it seemed.

"There's no arguing with you is there Sakura-chan, Naruto told me that you were there when Itachi massacred the clan, how did you get mixed up in it may I ask" the Uchiha inquired hesitantly unsure if she would even want him prying into that.

Especially when she went rigid "Itachi asked me to keep Sasuke busy that day, it was late and dark out already when Sasuke said he was going home, I had a bad feeling, asked him to stay the night, but he was insistent because Uchiha-sama and Mikoto-sama were strict" Sakura began.

Recounting that horrible day, "We got to the gates and I immediately noticed that there were no guards, then there was this awful smell lingering in the air as we walked through the compound to his house and when we got in we found Itachi there standing over their bodies" she continued.

"He mocked me about being to trusting, cause I thought he was planning a surprise for Sasuke, then he told me he killed them to test his strength against the clan, and when I accused him of killing you he didn't correct me" was said next.

It was a wonder how she was even still talking "Then he came after Sasuke, when I tried to protect him, Itachi threw me against the wall, Sasuke snapped out of his stupor and was put in the Tsukuyomi, the next thing I knew I was waking up in the hospital" the pinkette finished.

"B..But we found out the actual truth, why Itachi did that, Danzo detailed everything about how he stole one of your eyes and ordered Itachi to kill off the clan to keep the peace, before he went rogue he told Hokage-sama everything and he was ordered join Akatsuki to keep tabs on them and give information on them to Leaf" Sakura added.

"Why did he put you in Tsukuyomi then or try to do it to Sasuke-chan rather before you got in the way somehow" Shisui frowned seriously confused by his best friends actions, though it sounded like Sakura was still a little afraid of Itachi from her recent experiences with him.

Sakura sighed "Itachi had a partner from the Akatsuki with him, he had to keep up appearances or be found out as a spy in the organization, he's approached me as a clone twice now, to apologize for all he's done, the guilt is eating him alive from it all" the rosette admitted seriously.

"Of course because Itachi-chan's always been self-sacrificing, what about the other question" the Uchiha prodded lightly curious though horrified because he hadn't thought that his best friend was going through such horror.

"I actually performed a very difficult technique, I synced my chakra up to Sasuke's, like one would do if you were healing them, and switched places with him through the body flicker technique, Itachi was already in the midst of using Tsukuyomi I just got caught up in it" Sakura grimaced.

Answering the much sought after answer "So your learning medical ninjutsu, I saw you healing Naruto-chan's hands a few days ago, from the burns he gave himself trying to learn the Rasengan" Shisui inquired wanting to learn more.

In response Sakura let out a laugh and he felt more than a little hurt especially when he was trying to make normal conversation with her "Learning Shisui-ni, uh try fully qualified medic after three months of becoming a genin, Sasuke to" the fuscia haired teen grinned.

"Hold up Sasuke's a medic since when the hell did that happen" the ebony haired adult gaped in shock and surprise, what happened next he didn't expect as Sakura whipped out a camera and snapped a picture before stowing the device away to his disbelief.

Clearly fighting off laughter as her lips twitched at his expression "Our first major mission outside the village, Sasuke, Naruto and I we formed a temporary team with Naruto's sensei, and escorted a bridge builder back to his village, he decided he wanted to learn so he did" Sakura announced.

"Did he also manage to make Chunin like you and Naruto-chan" Shisui questioned further but Sakura shook her head to his disappointment it was then he finally noticed what she was wearing in her ears and his eyes went wide.

Just as he was about to ask a tiny voice spoke up from Sakura's shoulder "Sakura-sama, we have trouble the unexpected arrival of the Raikage, who's heavily injured, report from Jiraiya" there was a tiny spider and Shisui was surprised at the sight of it.

Because he hadn't thought Sakura would actually sign on with the spider summons he'd given her, though he didn't have to wonder if the Hokage was giving the gifts to her anymore as she grabbed his hand and body flickered them in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

Holding her breath the moment they arrived on scene to find a heavily injured Raikage, a shaking Tsunade, a concerned Jiraiya and a confused Naruto, who probably didn't understand a bloody thing that was going on anymore.

"Raikage-sama what happened" Sakura tossed down her pack and knelt at the man's side, hands glowing a bright green, where the heck was Cee when the man was needed, she thought he was the Raikage's medic and bodyguard after all.

Ay snorted "Ambush from Orochimaru's experiments on our way back from a mission that required my skills, I got separated from Darui and Cee, felt blonde brats chakra, so naturally thought you'd be with him" Ay explained.

Trying not to let the fact she was holding her breath bother him, it was the smell of blood she was avoiding, it was a tragedy really to have two talented medics with an aversion to blood, though Tsunade's was more debilitating than Sakura's.

Who could hold her breath, while Tsunade couldn't stand the sight of blood nor close her eyes while healing a patient "Orochimaru huh, maybe Hokage-sama should have let Shino-kun come along on this mission so we could blow up his barrier in that bastards face again" Sakura huffed.

Irritated that the Snake Sannin was so annoyingly persistent, Ay pressed his fist against his mouth, "Again you mean you've blown up a barrier in Orochimaru the Sannin's face before" Shisui guffawed drawing attention onto him.

Beady onyx eyes narrowed on him but Ay remained silent not asking questions "Yes, Shino-kun, Sasuke and I, after he tried to curse mark Sasuke in the Forest of Death, Shino's been working on barrier seals, that have a draw-back, when their cracked they explode" the rosette smirked.

Thinking back to that day in the forest it had been "I also kicked him in the face to when he tried to kill Naruto" Sakura scowled furiously while Naruto nodded it had been the first time he'd ever thought she was scary.

Shisui felt faint at the admission while Jiraiya chuckled "Raikage-sama, we're sorry for getting separated from….Sakura-san what are you doing so far away from the Leaf Village" Cee and Darui chose that moment to appear.

Only frowning at the sight of her healing their leader "Mission Cee-san, Darui-san, though I could use a little help with the deeper injuries, I'm still working on that, other than that I've got the superficial and the broken rib covered" the pinkette admitted.

Not afraid to ask for help until every injury on Ay had been healed "Go take a bath brat you reek of blood" the Raikage ordered in a brusque tone, knowing she would even if he didn't command her to, she couldn't stand the smell of blood after all.

"Hold up brat, you've been holding your breath all this time, why" Tsunade seemed to finally snap out of whatever stupor she'd been in for the last several minutes, stopping Sakura when she prepared herself to body flicker back to the hotel for a bath.

It was getting hard not to breath by that point and still talk, her lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen while Darui, Ay, Cee and Naruto turned their heads away knowing why, Sakura grit her teeth then body flickered anyway, not wanting to answer anymore questions.

Jiraiya creased his brow in confusion "Sakura-chan has an aversion to the smell of blood, it's hard for her to talk about because it gets in the way of her being a medic, whenever she smells it she pukes" Naruto piped in with a grimace.

"Doesn't stop her from saving someones life though, a Jonin from Sand killed a Hidden Leaf Shinobi, with help from another medic from Hidden Cloud, and myself they brought him back to life and healed him, now he's getting married to his fiancee" Darui chuckled.

Shisui narrowed his eyes "And why are Cloud Shinobi walking about the Leaf Village so freely, last I heard we weren't allies" the Uchiha glowered, if they so much as put a hand on Sakura, he was going to kill them.

"Back down Uchiha, what right do you even have to worry about the brat or village after faking your death, and we are now, have been since before the Chunin Exams about three or so months ago" Ay snarled right back.

Recognizing the man for who he was "I didn't fake my death alright I just didn't tell anyone I was alive after Shizune, Lady Tsunade's apprentice saved my ass okay" Shisui grumbled irritable that, that fact kept getting thrown in his face so brutally.

Like seriously how many people did Sakura have wrapped around her cute little fingers "Now, now, no fighting alright" Sakura returned in the nick of time, free of blood, and smelling like cherry blossoms, Darui tensed at the scent and flashed through a set of hand signs on reflex.

Even Ay couldn't stop the laughter this time as he realized why his shinobi had reacted like that "That's right Sakura-chan used you and that Amai guy as test subjects for her genjutsu" Naruto sniggered while Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth.

"What genjutsu would cause you to have that sort of reaction" Jiraiya frowned confused more than he thought possible as the Cloud Shinobi flushed in embarrassment, his own leader was laughing at him which was probably mortifying.

Darui grimaced "Nightmare scent based genjutsu, she activates it when your focused on the scent of cherry blossoms and it's terrifying" the younger dark skinned male cringed not able to get that month out of his head and the countless times he was put in that genjutsu.

"For what it's worth Darui-san I'm sorry, if I'd had more time with Kurenai-sensei to work on it you and Amai-san wouldn't have been subjected to it so much" the rosette apologized looking genuinely sorry.

The man held up his hand "It's alright Kid, that was merely a knee-jerk reaction I know you wouldn't use it on me anymore, hang on is that a Chunin Vest" Darui finally seemed to realize what she was wearing over the dark green yukata.

"Yep Naruto to, plus one other, Sasuke didn't get promoted however, he's still way to immature sometimes" Sakura pressed her lips together, even if she had forgiven the idiot, those words had been hurtful and she wasn't able to forget them so easily just because he apologized.

Cee frowned "Did something happen between you and Sasuke-san for you to say that Sakura-san" the onyx eyed blonde inquired, knowing her moods rather well at this point and he would go so far as to say she was upset at the boy.

Sakura grimaced "On our first day of this mission, we had an encounter with Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasuke showed up and I tried to stop him from attacking his brother, he called me annoying that I should stop thinking I'm better than everyone else and to butt out of his life" the fuscia haired teen admitted.

Those words also haunted her dreams at night "After all the effort you put in to helping him learn medical ninjutsu, what a little idiot" Ay snorted harshly, eyeing the girl up and down to assure himself that she was okay.

It was then he spotted the light purple bags under her eyes indicating lack of sleep and he wondered was she getting enough rest or was she having nightmares again "Hah an Uchiha medic now there's a laugh, impossible it's never been done before" Tsunade scoffed.

Not expecting the tirade she got in the next moment "Do not make fun of Uchiha's, their just as capable of becoming medics as everyone else, their people to like the rest of us and just so you know Sasuke happens to be fully qualified" Sakura snapped.

Still hating people who looked down on Uchiha's because of bloody freaking Danzo, it was all his fault and she wished they would just get over their prejudice already "What happened to the sweet polite Sakura-chan I use to know" Shisui sighed sadly.

"I grew up Shisui, I'm still polite but I really dislike people who look down on others or don't give them a fair chance just because of some bullshit or hearsay from someone else" the rosette scowled before storming off a short ways to cool down, it was a method she'd developed to reign in her anger when it got to be to much.

"Got to ask Shisui, that brat isn't a secret Uchiha is she, it would make sense actually now that I'm thinking about it" the honey eyed blonde questioned suddenly, eyes narrowed on the young girl, who'd made the bet with her initially.

His brows went high and Shisui snorted "More like a secret Aburame I think, kami that girl loves insects, her parents don't know where she got it either, and it's the natural talent she has that makes one think that way, but nope, Sakura-chan's just a little different than your average teenager" the Uchiha chuckled.

"A little different Uchiha, a little, try bloody weird is more like it, that girl and the blonde brat covered their house in seals that fucking zaps you if it perceives you as an enemy" Ay growled still a little miffed about that one incident.

Shisui clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from full on laughing while Naruto flushed in embarrassment "It was an accident I swear and Sakura-chan fixed it" the blue eyed blonde puffed up his cheeks and stuck his tongue out.

"What the hell would you need to cover your house in seals for" Jiraiya asked incredulously finding out a lot more about his apprentice in the span of a couple of minutes, than he ever did in one month training the little brat.

Sakura's eyes flashed with repressed anger as she returned much calmer than before "Danzo Shimura was sending people after him to kill him Jiraiya-sama, what else were we supposed to do, let them continue breaking into our house I don't think so" Sakura huffed.

Naruto nodded "Right, anyway thanks brat for healing me, I knew I could count on you until Cee got here, but we have to get on our way" the Raikage stood brushing his pants off, sounding unnaturally kind to which Tsunade was honestly surprised over.

Then with Darui, who waved and Cee, who smiled, in tow were gone "Can we get back to checking out the festival please" Naruto pouted in the next moment, Sakura grinned at him before the two of them were off to enjoy the festival.

It was a few hours later that they finally grew bored and were ready to head back to the hotel when someone stood in their way "Oi brats down now" Tsunade barked harshly, Sakura twisted on her heel and shoved Naruto out of the way, right as arms curled around her body and held her tightly.

"What's going on old lady….huh Kabuto what are you doing here" the blonde Uzumaki asked in confusion while Tsunade tensed and grew rigid, Sakura frowned deeply seeing the older woman's reaction and not liking it in the least.

Not that it took her very long to figure out really as she craned her neck enough to spy Kabuto out of the corner of her eye and notice what headband he was wearing "My I never expected to see you two out here Sakura-san, Naruto-san" Kabuto smiled a fake smile.

Her eye twitched did he think she was stupid or something "Just what do you think your doing Kabuto" she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, trying to get information even as Kabuto held her at kunai point, she could feel the cold metal against her neck.

"Orochimaru-sama is very interested in you Sakura-san, your skills at evading him in the Forest of Death first infuriated him but now he can see what talent you possess, he wants you, so what do you say Sakura-san come with me to Hidden Sound, in Leaf you'll just waste away" the gray haired teenager propositioned.

That was twice now someone had propositioned her to leave her village and go with them, she grit her teeth "Sakura-chan don't even think about it, you don't want to be like them do you, killing people for the sake of experimentation" Shisui grew worried at her suddenly calm expression.

Viridian orbs grew blank so he didn't even know what she was thinking, then, then she was smiling a guileless smile "Kabuto how naive do you think I am, like hell I will SHANNARO" Sakura snapped grabbing Kabuto's arms.

And throwing him over her shoulder onto his back with a loud satisfying crack she made to move further when he disappeared in a plume of smoke, indicating he'd been a clone all along "Th..That was totally awesome Sakura-chan" Naruto laughed having seen the whole thing up close and personal.

"Freaking brat stop worrying me" Jiraiya grumbled but he was glad that the girl seemed to have her priorities straight, no one would ever have to worry about her going rogue, she was to good for that really as he shook his head with a quiet chuckle.

While Shisui let out a sigh of relief "Trust me a little Shisui-ni, I'm not a little kid anymore, I know what I'm doing now" the pinkette saw that and frowned, trust was a big issue with her it seemed and he let out a sheepish laugh.

"Sorry Sakura-chan it's just after everything you've been through I wouldn't be surprised if you got fed up with everything and just left" Shisui admitted rubbing the back of his neck, he kept screwing up it seemed.

She sighed softly "Perhaps your right Shisui I've been through a lot and some would think it's about time I got fed up with all of it, but that's no excuse to run away or quit, and I can't abandon the people who care about me or that I care about" Sakura lectured.

It struck a cord in Tsunade, who truly took in this young girl that had experienced loss at such a young age "Even if it means watching your loved ones die, would you still continue" Tsunade questioned hands clenched into fists.

"Yes, because even if someone is gone, their still always with you in mind and heart, that's love and something I'll fight to the very death for" the rosette nodded, feeling philosophical in that moment, her heart had taken a very big blow, but she continued on regardless.

Tsunade felt tears prick at her eyes, then threw caution to the wind and grabbed the brat for a hug "So very different from myself, I've been living in the past, while you've been living in the present and for the future, you don't let anything keep you down" the woman murmured.

Letting the tears flow free into pink hair "Course not because there are people who count on me, Naruto, Sasuke, Shibi-sensei, Shino-kun, my parents, the people of the Leaf Village" Sakura sniffled not entirely unaffected by the emotional display.

Jiraiya watched on fondly, as he finally figured out why Sarutobi had sent the girl, it wasn't because of her skills, she could connect with Tsunade on a deeper, more emotional level than anyone else could.

Even if the person she'd lost was in fact still alive, she'd still known loss and it had shaped the girl into someone entirely different and completely unlike Tsunade "We're going…we're going back to Leaf Shisui, go tell Shizune" Tsunade took a deep breath.

Accepting in that moment that Sakura wouldn't have backed down against her "Just like that huh Tsunade, Sakura flashes though big green eyes at you and you fall hook line and sinker" Jiraiya chuckled and her cheeks grew hot in embarrassment because she knew he was right.

"It's not just that, Sakura-chan understands that's the point" Naruto piped in grinning from ear to ear, as they headed back for the hotel, maybe this mission had started off bad, but now it was going to end on a good note.

With that the lot of them repacked their things, having only been there one day less than a week "Okay so how exactly am I going to explain my suddenly alive status" Shisui cleared his throat when they started from Tanzaku Town.

Tsunade crinkled her nose "I suppose since I'm going to be Hokage, I'll just tell those two Council members that you've been with me the whole time and I felt that it was to dangerous to reveal yourself thus going unnoticed" the honey eyed blonde shrugged.

Coming up with an explanation on the spot that would satisfy Homura and Koharu "Lord Orochimaru their getting away" Kabuto noted as he saw the group traipsing from Tanzaku Town, their whole plan had been ruined.

"Not to worry Kabuto, we can head them off, maybe find something to entice the girl over to me" Orochimaru hissed still furious that nothing was going right for him anymore, first he's thwarted not once but twice in the forest of death by a mere girl and now that very girl was interfering again.

Kabuto smirked, glasses glinting in the sunlight as the two of them body flickered ahead of the group of Leaf Shinobi on their way home, "Hmm what's this, running away Tsunade, I thought we had a deal" the Snake Sannin appeared suddenly.

And Sakura was able to finally get a good look at the man "I never agreed to that Orochimaru, you can't bring back the dead after all, not truly, they'd be imitations of themselves" Tsunade glowered having not expected the other Sannin to stick around.

Gold eyes narrowed "You refuse then such a pity" the Snake Sannin shook his head in disappointment clearly unhappy that his old teammate refused to even consider helping him, Tsunade grew wary when a smirk formed on his lips.

Then Sakura was gone from their sides "SAKURA-CHAN" Shisui shouted seeing what had happened, they'd been distracted by Orochimaru that they'd forgotten that Kabuto was the man's right hand allowing him to swoop and snap Sakura up right beneath their noses.

For the second time now she was caught in Kabuto's grip, held tightly against his chest, "LEAVE HER ALONE" Naruto screamed when Orochimaru appeared before Sakura, trapping her between the two males.

"Do something Jiraiya, don't just stand there, help her" Tsunade whispered furiously at the Toad Sage when Orochimaru bent and began murmuring in Sakura's ear, but because they were to far away, she couldn't bloody hear what he was saying to the girl.

Jiraiya was panicking just as much as Tsunade was "We can't do anything Tsunade, their to close to Sakura that if I tried, she'd be caught in the middle of any jutsu I used" Jiraiya growled frustrated at himself.

~Meanwhile~

Sakura met those menacing yellow eyes head on "My what a gutsy little girl, such passion and life, a flourishing blossom in essence, come with me, I can teach you any jutsu you wish, if you heal me child" Orochimaru whispered.

"The Reaper Death seal isn't something that can be removed so easily, even healing you right now won't give you back use of your arms" Sakura informed bluntly trying to figure out an escape plan at the same time to get out of this terrifying situation.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes further "Knowledgeable to huh such an interesting child you are, even faced with death you refuse to stand down, I admire such bravery, but your nothing more than a trembling little rabbit aren't you" the ebony haired man chuckled darkly.

Picking up on her light trembles "Fear is a perfectly human reaction, when a person becomes numb to such emotion they become an empty shell, life is meaningless to them and death soon finds them" the rosette stated.

Brow furrowed in concentration when she finally thought of a plan not a moment to soon either, she could tell Orochimaru was growing angry with her lecturing "You test my patience girl, is there anything I can offer you to join me" Orochimaru snapped.

Right on cue to "I don't know, you see I really hate being held at weapon point, let me go and I'll think about it" Sakura quipped keeping their gazes locked as she moved her hands carefully in front of her, thinking about the kind of genjutsu she wished to make him see.

If it would even work that was but it was something she had to try so she could escape "Why won't you just give him a straight answer Sakura-san, Sound isn't so bad once you get use to it, you could even set up a clinic to heal people there with me" Kabuto spoke up for the first time.

Sakura remained silent this time, flashing through a few hand signs and activating a genjutsu on Orochimaru, through their locked gazes, his vision clouded over "Like hell bastard, there's no way in hell I'll ever join either of you" the pinkette heaved him over her shoulder again.

Wide onyx eyes met hers just as Orochimaru broke free of the genjutsu, only to grunt as his retainer slammed into him, sending them both crashing to the ground "NARUTO, BARRIER NOW" Sakura shouted.

And four Naruto clones body flickered around the duo on the ground, throwing down tags "Four Point Diamond Sealing Barrier Jutsu" they flashed through hand signs and a transparent barrier rose entrapping Orochimaru and Kabuto within.

Then they each placed a tag on the barrier each one bore a different formula on it, chakra suppression, jutsu sealing formula, jutsu enhancer tag and a formula to strengthen the barrier for at least twenty minutes.

"Futon: Wind Scythe Jutsu" the jutsu was unsealed from the tag, and another Naruto enhanced it with his tag, during that Sakura body flickered to safety and was wrapped up in the warm familiar arms of Shisui.

Who held her close "That won't hold them long" Naruto warned wishing he didn't have to ruin the heartwarming scene, if it were normal shinobi and not crazy insane ones like Orochimaru or Kabuto the barrier would last those twenty minutes, but with them the most they'll get is a few.

"Ahem right sorry, let's go" Shisui cleared his throat as they took off down the road trying to get as far away as they could to avoid having Kabuto and Orochimaru catch up with them, it wasn't more than twenty miles later that a huge explosion sounded behind them.

No one turned to look but Shisui gave Sakura a confused expression "Worked the explosion formula into the barrier formula so if they cracked the barrier it would explode on them" Sakura answered simply, it was the only plan she'd been able to come up with in a few minutes after all.

"Here I thought fuinjutsu was a dying art, yet you brats know how to successfully create a working barrier formula" the Toad Sage was in awe of the next generation's talents, then again his gaki of an apprentice was an Uzumaki.

Fuinjutsu was their birthright, but what really impressed him was that Sakura seemed to have a high understanding of the subject herself "Once I become Hokage, I'll put it on the academy curriculum as a necessary skill for students to learn" the blonde brat grinned.

Proud of himself for having practiced all these years on his sealing jutsu skills "Interesting or you could petition Hokage-sama, challenge the curriculum at your rank and completely change it for the better now" Shizune piped in with a much better suggestion.

"That's right Naruto, we're no longer genin" Sakura snapped her fingers in realization, idea's were half a step away from becoming reality if they could find a good enough reason that the changes they wanted to implement would be a good thing.

Blue eyes lit up in excitement, all was well in their group for the next nine miles until a blur shot past his face and Sakura let out a scream "What the hell was that" Naruto turned his head only to cover his mouth at the sight of that thing.

Saidai, Sakura's obsessed goliath beetle "Ridiculous, when we get back I'm so hitting Sasuke for letting Saidai loose" Sakura seethed prying the insect from her shoulder and tossing him in the air avoiding letting him sit on her shoulder again.

"Hold up I thought you were joking about her possibly being a secret Aburame" Tsunade gaped in shock and surprise at the sight of an insect following Sakura like a bloody duckling, it was creepy and a shudder crawled down her spine.

While Shisui full on laughed "Did you make a new friend Sakura-chan" the Uchiha teased relentlessly, only to find his feet swept out from underneath him and eating dirt in the next moment as Sakura rolled her eyes an unimpressed glare in her eyes.

Eyebrow twitching in irritation "He got clingy after the invasion okay when my house got crushed, he got loose and found me in the hospital, Saidai's been attached ever since" Sakura huffed glaring at the beetle in the next moment.

"Like seriously shouldn't you be trying to find a mate instead of sticking to me" she mumbled irritably, Naruto snorted loudly, narrowly avoiding the same fate as Shisui in the next moment as she tried to kick his leg.

Grinning from ear to ear "Speaking of new friends, Ino and I manage to get over our differences, she's the one who sought me out and apologized" the fuscia haired teen exclaimed in remembrance while Shisui smiled fondly.

With that they continued on their way back to where home was, getting far, far away from anymore potentially dangerous encounters with Orochimaru or Kabuto and any other rogue that might be after them.


	27. Home is Where the Heart is

Very interesting things happened to the group of shinobi on their way back home, "Come to think of it Sakura, how close were you to mastering chakra enhanced strength" Tsunade was the one to ask, it being the first interesting thing about to happen.

Shisui shuddered to Naruto's amusement "Pretty close Tsunade-sama, if I'd had another day or so, I would have gotten it down" Sakura quipped looking happy, even with that creepy gigantic beetle perched on her shoulder like a freaking parrot.

"During our next stop would you mind demonstrating it for me so that I can ascertain how much you need to work on during our first training session once I take you on as my official second apprentice" the honey eyed blonde requested.

And the girl nodded happily in acceptance "Of course Tsunade-sama I wouldn't mind at all" the rosette smiled bright, practically skipping in joy, the girl had every reason to be happy to, finding out her best friend was alive and getting taken on as an apprentice by one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Will you have her sign on with Katsuyu-sama, Tsunade-sama" Shizune piped in and Sakura came to a screeching halt especially when Tsunade nodded in answer to her assistants question "Is something wrong" the ebony haired woman immediately noticed the crest-fallen expression on Sakura.

Jiraiya knew though "If I sign on with slugs I'll have to terminate the contract for my current summons" Sakura looked uneasy now, she loved her spider summons and didn't want to give them up for anything, not even being trained by Tsunade.

"You have summons already, for how long" Tsunade frowned in confusion, if the kid already had summons it would be hard convincing her to sign on with Katsuyu and her children, though it wasn't necessary but something they would have to definitely talk about.

"Two days before I became a genin, Mibojin-sama has been the absolute best, we've established a very strong relationship of trust between us" the pinkette worried her lip harshly hoping that she wasn't going to be forced to choose.

Until Jiraiya offered a solution to their problem "Did you know that a person can be signed on with more than one summons, it just takes a lot of effort and training in order to do so" Jiraiya cleared his throat looking off to the side.

Sue him he cared about the kid on a parental or grand-parent-ish kind of level, Sakura's eyes lit up in excitement at the prospect of being able to summon more than just her spiders, while Shisui chuckled "Knowing you Sakura-chan it'll be easy" Shisui commented.

Making the girl blush and of course he had to tease her for it "I can't wait to see everyone, Sasuke-chan, Shibi-sama, Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san and of course Shino-chan, your still friends with him right" the Uchiha asked in concern.

"Friends more like betrothed to one another and in a relationship, their so lovey-dovey it's sickening sometimes" Naruto fake gagged before he found himself eating dirt, while Sakura rolled her eyes and blushed madly.

His brows shot up "Betrothed how on earth did that come about Sakura-chan" Shisui questioned in total confusion, man he really was behind on a lot of things, which meant he would have to do a lot of catching up once he explained how he was still alive anyway.

"Shibi-sensei met with my parents a week before the Chunin Exams I think, they were pretty secretive about it actually, then they told us a week after the invasion happened" Sakura answered thinking fondly of Shino.

It was written all over her face in fact "Okay so when did you realize that you liked Shino-chan" the ebony haired man prodded lightly eager to get the juicy details that he'd missed out on all because of his stupidity.

"When Shino-kun stood up for me against Himekari, I thought wow he's so cool, took him forever to realize he liked me though not until after we became genin and I went on a month long mission without him" the fuscia haired teen fidgeted then huffed in exasperation.

Off to the side Shizune frowned "How can you be so sure you'll still like him a few years down the road when it's time for you two to marry one another as the betrothal contract states" Shizune inquired thinking it was cruel that the girl's parents had arranged the contract.

Emerald orbs narrowed "My feelings for Shino-kun are strong Shizune-san, while it hasn't quite developed into love I know a few years down the road those feelings will still be in tact and stronger than before" Sakura said rather bluntly.

"And I'm pretty sure Shibi-sensei arranged it for our benefit anyway to prevent his clan's elders from interfering with our relationship and my parents just went along with it because their weird" she snorted in the next moment.

Naruto nodding his head in agreement because the older Haruno's were way stranger than any adults he'd ever encountered disregarding old man Hokage and pervy sage of course "Okay and why are you nodding Naruto-chan" Shisui asked.

"Sakura-chan's parents took me in and adopted me, kept my last name Uzumaki though" the blonde admitted hardly able to wait until they got back home so he could see them again, a month was to long to go without seeing important people.

Jiraiya looked surprised at that but he didn't say anything, instead pulled the group off the road to set up temporary camp for lunch "Right Sakura, why don't you go and demonstrate chakra enhanced strength for me" Tsunade cleared her throat.

Remembering what they'd talked about about an hour beforehand "Just give me a moment to shuck my weights" Sakura peeled the unique looking wraps from her arms and legs, then unstrapped her weights from her limbs.

Letting them breath for a moment, then marched a short distance away from camp, everyone watching intently as she reared back her arm, molding her chakra, with a deep breath she brought her fist to the earth, releasing the pent up chakra at the same time.

Body flickering a safe distance away in the next moment as the earth exploded, creating a moderate sized crater in the ground "Holy fuck" the Toad Sage cursed loudly seeing the amount of destruction she'd caused.

"That's the result of her fine tuning her chakra control for over two months" Naruto commented in awe, wishing he was able to do that himself, but he was lacking in the chakra control department, then he remembered the promise they'd made and swore to improve his chakra control.

"Fine-tuning your chakra control whatever for Sakura and why are you wearing such light weights anyway" Shizune frowned in confusion, eyeing the weights the girl had shucked as Sakura walked back towards their group to sit down.

Though at the comment about her weights Naruto started laughing like a crazy person "Light weights hahahahaha that's hilarious Shizune-san" the blonde held his stomach obviously finding what she'd said very funny.

While Jiraiya turned his head away trying to keep from doing the same thing as his gaki of an apprentice "Unfortunately Shizune-san, these weights are sixty-five pounds, it's how I've been fine-tuning my control, the slightest slip up and I'll pull a joint or muscle" the pinkette said.

The woman stared in horror "Sixty-five pounds are you crazy Sakura-chan why would you go up that high so fast" Shisui spluttered as equally as horrified especially when she strapped those weights on her arms and legs again, followed by the wraps made by her summons.

"Not so fast Shisui-ni, I started off at five pounds, then after every two weeks I've gone up exactly ten from the time we became genin, Shibi-sensei's methods of training us were level insanity sometimes" Sakura shuddered.

Remembering the start of their training sessions, how he'd snatched her right off her feet and fake-threatened to poison her "Level insanity" the Uchiha blinked confused, not to mention how Shibi even became a sensei for genin.

"Uh-uh our first training session, he snatched me off my feet and told Shino-kun and Sasuke that if they didn't save me I'd die from poison injection, then he worked on our stamina and taijutsu the second day, it was hell on earth I'll tell you" the rosette deadpanned.

Shisui couldn't help it as he laughed just as the second interesting thing happened, "Gimme all your money or girly here gets it" a bandit jumped out of the bushes brandishing a kunai and pointing it at Sakura who had stood to stretch her limbs.

Adjusting to her weights again "You know brat you get taken hostage an awful lot" Jiraiya sighed, not that he really had to worry or anything as in the next moment the bandit went down courtesy of a venomous spider bite.

Rolling around on the ground screaming in agony from the burning sensation in his veins, vomiting like he had no control over his stomach "What the hell" Tsunade growled unsure of what just happened.

"It's my summons Tsunade-sama, this is Shiruki-chan, I have her summoned at all times for instances like this" Sakura showed off the little red spider as Shisui took care of the bandit and threw him off into the brush to be forgotten about.

Tsunade still looked confused "Venomous spiders Granny Tsunade" Naruto explained deciding to enlighten the woman, who stared then became silent in contemplation as they packed up and continued on their way in hopes of making it to Leaf without any more incidents like that.

"Can any of them kill with a single bite" the honey eyed woman questioned suddenly curious about the young girl's summons, if the venom was that strong at such a young age, then an older spider must have the skill to kill.

Sakura nodded seriously "Mibojin-sama, the leader, the rest of them are young like Shiruki-chan or Kafu-kun" the pinkette pointed to Jiraiya, who wasn't as surprised as he use to be about the fact she'd planted a spider on him.

Most likely the others had spiders on them to, a working communication system that wasn't a dead give-away to back-up in case of a sticky situation "Hold up if Jiraiya has a spider on him, does that mean we have one on us to" Shizune looked a little panicky.

Gaze scanning her clothes for a tiny spider summons "Of course, in case any of us get separated, we can still communicate and the enemy will never figure out how" Sakura piped in and Shizune felt her skin crawling at the thought of having a dangerous creature on her.

"Do you know all their names Sakura-chan" Shisui was curious, he hadn't thought she'd establish such a relationship with the summons he'd gifted her, but he was glad, it proved that Sakura would survive in this harsh and cruel world.

Sakura grinned "Mhm, on Naruto is Irome-kun, Ashi-kun is on you Shisui-ni, Shizune-san has Hitomi-chan and Rera-chan is on Tsunade-sama, but those are just the ones I've managed to summon, Mibojin-sama says there are many others I have yet to meet" the fuscia haired teen ticked off her fingers with a smile.

Eagerly awaiting the day she got to meet more of her summons, then they ate and packed up their temporary camp, hitting the road again and taking their sweet leisurely time as they walked, which was how the third interesting thing happened.

It was growing dark on them as they neared the outpost town an hour away from Hidden Leaf, they were all tired and ready to sleep, just as they were about to enter the town a gigantic butcher knife like sword swept over their heads and embedded itself in a tree.

Followed by a familiar person appearing on the hilt of the weapon "Well if it isn't two of the little brats that guarded Tazuna all the way back when" the man growled slightly amused that he was meeting them all the way out here.

Four people shifted into defensive stances while the two Chunin kept rather calm "Zabuza what are you doing in Fire Country" Sakura questioned unimpressed with his intimidation tactics, not that they'd ever really worked on her.

"Yeah unless Mist found out you were in the Land of Waves and you got chased out you have no reason to be in our country" Naruto narrowed his blue eyes not trusting the man, even if Sakura and Sasuke had negotiated with him.

Zabuza snorted "I felt the brat's chakra, decided to see if you would help me out, negotiate things for me with my old village" the rogue grumbled hating that he had to ask for help in the first place, but he believed if any one could do it, it was this brat here.

Shisui straightened suddenly "Hold up you mean this is the fucking rogue you negotiated with to save lives, Zabuza Momochi how could you be so stupid Sakura-chan" the Uchiha gaped in horror, taking on a scolding and outraged tone.

Until she met his glare head on, she wasn't a meek little girl anymore that silently took crap like she use to "Don't go there Shisui, Kakashi-sensei was in agreement to I was following his orders, besides the other thing I did was much worse and you know it" Sakura scowled.

"Bu…But Sakura-chan that goes against everything you stand for, lying to your Hokage, those strong morals of yours, how could you, even if it was to help people" Shisui stamped his foot upset because he hadn't thought she'd turn into such a rule breaker in his absence.

Peridot orbs narrowed "Rules were meant to be broken, and I didn't necessarily lie I just never talked about it with him, I still hate liars and my morals are just as strong as they ever were" the pinkette snapped growing angry.

And almost at full-blown rage if he didn't stop his crap, she wasn't a child anymore and he wasn't her father, Shisui paled at that realizing he might have stepped over a line that he hadn't meant to cross with her "Okay so what is it you want from her anyway Momochi" Jiraiya cleared his throat.

Taking charge "Like I said I want her to help smooth things over with my old village, negotiate on my behalf that sort of crap" Zabuza growled sitting on the hilt of his sword at this point, having grown impatient.

"Just how is she going to do that, you're a rogue from Hidden Mist, who we aren't allies with, I doubt they'll suddenly come to Leaf and ask for a treaty like Old Man Raikage did" the blue eyed blonde pointed out.

Zabuza's nonexistent eyebrow twitched in irritation "As of right now the brat can't do anything for you Momochi, we were on our way back to Leaf so I can take over as Hokage now that the third is retiring again" Tsunade piped in.

"You can come with us to a hotel though, in disguise, then to Hidden Leaf, and once I'm in office, she can work things out for you after that" the blonde woman snorted, men were such babies relying on females all the time.

Poor Sakura was going to have a lot of work on her shoulders, hospital duties, it'll be the first thing the brat will have to get use to as her apprentice, helping blonde brat make an outline detailing the changes he wanted to implement at the academy and now helping a rogue out.

It was probably going to drive the girl crazy "Good enough for me I suppose" Zabuza grumbled jumping from his sword to the ground, while pulling his sword from the tree it was embedded in and following the Leaf Shinobi the rest of the way into the outpost town.

"Kakashi's probably going to recognize him the moment we get back to Leaf" the Toad Sage reminded suddenly as they finally found an inn and divided up, three to a room except for Zabuza who wanted his own.

They did gather in one room though to come up with a good way to keep Zabuza under cover from the sensors of the village "I wouldn't worry, most of the medics can't heal mental trauma, Kakashi-sensei is laid up in the hospital right now thanks to Itachi" Sakura piped in.

"We still should find a way to at least change his chakra signature a little, temporarily for instance, may I borrow your extremely advanced fuinjutsu book….thanks Sakura-chan" Naruto mused then an idea popped into mind and he asked to borrow that awesomely amazing book again.

He just knew some sort of seal to help them would be in it as he plopped down on his chosen bed and cracked the book open, flipping through the pages for several minutes until he came across exactly what they needed.

Leaving the book open he pulled out a tag, chakra ink and his brush before cracking his knuckles and got started on drawing the seal "And done go ahead and try it out Zabuza" the Uzumaki held out the finished tag.

Zabuza took it warily unsure if he could really trust the blonde who seemed to dislike him for some reason, but activated the tag anyway "Very interesting I daresay Zabuza-san won't be recognized now, not with that chakra signature" Shizune murmured.

Easily able to tell that the chakra signature had been changed, then the tag was deactivated and Zabuza's usual chakra signature was returned to him "Brilliant Naruto, oh hey I just realized, Haku's not with you Zabuza, did something happen to him" Sakura frowned in realization.

A little surprised the girl had asked "Nah he's back in that little village, the bridge builders daughter took a liking to him, he's safe from Hunter Nin because they don't know about him, I on the other hand had to get out of there before we were both caught" the rogue admitted.

With that the lot of them went to bed and so ended the fourth interesting thing that happened on their way home as they climbed into their beds for some shuteye, Tsunade was the only one who noticed the nightlight Sakura plugged in and the lava lamp in her arms before drifting off.

The following morning they paid the rent for their three rooms and set off down the path only an hour away from home now "So what's the plan for when we get back Tsunade-sama" Shizune asked curiously when they'd been walking for at least twenty minutes.

"Mm first things first, brat you'll have to start working in the hospital, then we'll do the great unveil for Uchiha here and find accommodations for Momochi once we place you under strict guard, I'll visit Hatake after and heal him" Tsunade listed.

Sakura's brows drew down "Uh one thing Tsunade-sama I'm already working in the hospital, though I don't know what my schedule will be, I'll just have to talk to Ittei-sama" Sakura stated, not that she would have minded but it was part of her contract.

Plus the hospital would probably crash and burn without her talents as horrible as it sounded, "Yeah the day after we became genin actually if I'm not mistaken and she took her license exam a couple days before the Chunin Exams" Naruto piped in with a grin.

"Kami and you said Sasuke-chan was also a fully qualified medic, how long did it take him" Shisui questioned intrigued by all that he was learning, Sasuke was most likely going to be pissed at him, along with a great many other people so he wanted to know for now.

"About the same amount of time I think or one month less, he didn't actually take the exam, Ittei-sama bumped him up to fully qualified during the month after the invasion, we had to do a lot of healing and he got the necessary experience" the pinkette explained.

Tsunade raised a brow at that wanting to scoff about there being an Uchiha medic, but after that tongue lashing from a couple days ago, she didn't want to set her new apprentice off on her again like that, it was just unnecessary stress.

"What did you mean by place me under a strict guard" Zabuza growled from the back of the group as they drew nearer and nearer to Hidden Leaf, it was at that point he finally decided to activate the tag made for him and henge into someone else so he was unrecognizable.

"It means you'll be placed under guard Momochi, to keep an eye you that's really the extent of it, I'll give the order that you aren't to be attacked or killed until brat can smooth things over for you with your old village" the honey eyed woman shrugged.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes but relented by dragging further and further behind the group so that he didn't enter the village at the same time they did, it would be to suspicious after all, though he wouldn't know the way to the Hokage Tower.

"See you in a bit Zabuza-san" Sakura waved lightly setting her sights on her home after a month of being gone, she really hated these month long missions, even if they were necessary, she was so focused on reaching the gates.

That she missed the person appearing before her and with an oomph she was sprawled out on her back, then a hand appeared in her line of sight and she took it without hesitation allowing herself to be pulled onto her feet "My apologies Sakura-san" Neji's smooth voice graced her ears.

And she jerked back unhappy with the Hyuga still because she'd been busy, and so she didn't know Hinata and he had made up "Neji is there a reason you body flickered in front of me" she wasn't stupid either, he'd done that completely on purpose.

Naruto struggled to reign in his laughter, "Indeed there was Sakura-san, my Uncle seems to have gotten it into his head that we would be the perfect match, fresh blood for the clan so to speak and wishes to betroth you to me" the brunet deadpanned.

Utter silence met his ears as Naruto promptly stopped laughing "What the hell Neji, first of all I don't like you that, second we barely know each other and three I'm already happily in a betrothal contract with someone else so it's not going to happen" Sakura scowled unhappily.

"Regardless of that, ranting at me isn't going to stop him, he needs to hear that from yourself, your parents and the parents of your betrothed" Neji pointed out in a flat tone, not wanting this anymore than she clearly did.

Sakura's brow twitched of all the bloody things to happen when she gets back, the Patriarch wanting to put her in a betrothal contract with his nephew was certainly at the bottom of her list "Fine now will you let me sign in" the rosette grumbled.

Irritated beyond belief, like seriously Neji and her would make the worst couple in history with his arrogant and holier than thou attitude, the Hyuga moved out of her way and she hurriedly signed in, taking note the others had left.

And that Zabuza was just now making his way to the gates to sign in, she took it slow as he began discretely following her to the Hokage Tower "Poor Sakura-chan right off the bat something happens" Naruto was still laughing.

To which she promptly whacked him over the head for it, ending his amusement of her sudden predicament "Just wait knucklehead until some girl's parents come to Mom and Dad wanting to set you up for a betrothal contract with their daughter" Sakura glowered.

Naruto wisely shut up about the subject "Good, good I'm pleased you found Tsunade, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, Jiraiya, as of today you are Hokage Tsunade, your inauguration will have to wait for a couple of months sadly" Hiruzen greeted.

Relieved to have the two Chunin back in the village after what he'd heard from Sasuke, Sakura even seemed to be doing rather well actually "That's fine I'm in no hurry" Tsunade waved her hand which signaled the hidden Uchiha to come forth.

"There is something we have to discuss though before you leave Sarutobi-sensei" the blonde woman stopped the elderly man from exiting his now former office, Hiruzen turned waiting for whatever it was.

Only to freeze as someone he hadn't seen for over four years unveiled himself "Shisui, Shisui Uchiha is that really you" Hiruzen questioned, doubting the man was even there until Shisui knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

"Please forgive me Lord Hokage, Shizune saved me the day I jumped from the cliff overlooking Naka River, I know it was wrong of me to hide my living status from you, but I felt it would be best if I just stayed away" Shisui apologized whole-heartedly to the wizened old man.

Hiruzen knew without a doubt that it was the real Shisui then, for no other would bow like that before him except for Shisui himself and apologize with such emotion thick in his voice "Forgiven, though you could have informed me you were still alive to save a certain someone from heartache" the Third scolded lightly.

Easily forgiving the man, Shisui was to kind-hearted after all "Thank you Lord Hokage I will accept whatever punishment Tsunade-sama deems fit" Shisui bowed his head once more then stood properly against the wall of the office.

"Good luck Tsunade" Hiruzen nodded his head at his old student and bowed out of the office, leaving the woman to conduct her first orders as Hokage, whatever they might be, he would have been shocked in the next moment.

As Tsunade turned "Right go ahead and undo the transformation Momochi, Anbu I know your there, as of this moment Zabuza Momochi is under the protection of the Hokage, I'll have an official meeting later, keep him guarded" Tsunade barked.

Flaring her chakra until a masked man came up through the floor, Sakura noted it was the same one who'd escorted her and Sasuke to the Uchiha Compound "Understood Hokage-sama, best stay under the transformation jutsu for now" the Anbu nodded.

With that Zabuza and the masked man were gone "Shizune go check on the hospital get a report from the Head Medic, Sakura I'm placing another duty on your shoulders, with Shizune and the Head Medic you'll review hospital regulations and come up with better ones" the blonde continued.

Sakura knew that order was nonnegotiable "Blonde brat, I expect to see an outline for changes you want to implement in the academy curriculum on my desk in two weeks" Tsunade shifted her gaze onto Naruto who straightened and nodded seriously.

Because she wasn't going to let him getting away with not doing anything after he so boldly declared that he was going to change the academy curriculum "Roger that Granny Tsunade" Naruto saluted avoiding the kunai that was thrown at him.

"Call me that one more time and I'll punch you out the window, take the next two weeks off for your hard work on the B Rank Mission, I expect a full report from you Jiraiya on everything that happened during it understand" Tsunade was not taking anyone's crap that morning it seemed.

Barking orders left and right before sending the shinobi in her office scrambling "Oh and Uchiha, the punishment you mentioned, you have to take full responsibility for your bratty little cousin Sasuke, I'm sure you and him have a lot of things to talk about" the honey eyed woman smirked.

Making Shisui quietly gulp as he was led from the office by Sakura "It won't be so bad you'll see Shisui-ni" Sakura assured, not exactly lying, but Sasuke was sure to throw a fit and possibly ignore him longer than she had.

"Yeah sure Sakura-chan, Sasuke-chan's gonna hate me and so are Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san, and how the heck am I going to take responsibility when I have no money" Shisui let his shoulders droop, feeling pathetic and like the worst person in history.

Sakura sighed "Well I could always give you back the money you split between Sasuke and me, your life savings, haven't used a cent of it actually, and the other part is simple, you can take the spare at ours since Mom and Dad technically adopted Sasuke" the pinkette admitted.

Until Shisui was full on gaping "Technically adopted Sasuke-chan, man Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san are to kind sometimes, didn't they also adopt Naruto-chan" the Uchiha pointed at the blonde who was trailing behind them, deep in thought with a speculative gleam in his eyes.

"Of course, what I meant by that was Sasuke still has the last name Uchiha and he doesn't call them Mom or Dad, neither does Naruto, their still just as weird though, one time she hit me and Sasuke with her slipper because we stayed out a little to long to her liking" Sakura snorted.

While Naruto burst into hysterical laughter remembering that moment vividly "Why, why didn't you use the money I left you Sakura-chan" Shisui honed in on her previous comment about having not used the money he left her.

"Because between my paycheck as a genin and working part-time at the hospital I haven't really needed it, it was nothing against you Shisui-ni, well maybe I was a little peeved you'd do something like that at first" the rosette huffed.

And he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly right as they came to a stop before an unfamiliar to him house, "You mentioned you lived in a new house I forgot for a moment" the raven haired male sighed.

Trepidation and excitement warring within him as Sakura reached for the doorknob to open the door, before she could though the door flew open and she was knocked on her back "Oops sorry Sak….." the culprit was revealed as Sasuke.

Who started apologizing only to trail off as he saw who else was with his teammate/adoptive sister "Hi ya Sasuke-chan, do you remember me any" the man waved his hand looking awkward and worried at the same time.

His brow twitched then Sasuke turned on his heel ignoring him "I'm sorry Sakura, here" Sasuke cleared his throat holding out his hand, deftly ignoring the person who'd caused such heartache, Sakura took his hand hesitantly.

Then when she was on her feet, he took off as fast as he could down the streets, probably heading in to work at the hospital "Well that went spectacularly horrible" Naruto commented of course he understood though, Sasuke and Sakura both had been hurt by Shisui's supposed death.

It would take a long time for those wounds to truly heal "Sakura-chan, Naruto-chan welcome ho…." the next to come to the door was none other than Mebuki and unlike Sasuke, she immediately noticed who else was stood among the children.

Uncomfortable silence stretched between the two adults until Mebuki reached down and grabbed up her infamous slipper "How dare you Shisui Uchiha, causing such unfathomable pain in children why I ought to ooooh when I get through with you" Mebuki whacked the Uchiha right over his head with her slipper.

Launching into an angry tirade and Shisui did nothing but accept his punishment, doing nothing to defend himself until the woman ran out of steam "Get your butt in here and so help me if you disappear again you'll be doing laundry for months" the blonde woman huffed and puffed.

Gripping Shisui by his ear and dragging him into the house behind her and throwing down her slipper "Poor Shisui who knows what she'll do to him" Naruto sniggered unsympathetic because the guy did kind of deserve it.

"Agreed, that's not counting what everyone else will do to him, all his old friends and whatnot, he's facing a life of scrutiny and anger by coming back" Sakura grimaced, not wishing that on even her worst enemies.

Mebuki Haruno was not someone you messed with on a normal day and the woman proved to be just as strange as she'd always been when they went further into the house and found Shisui sitting oddly quiet on the couch watching as the woman ranted and raved.

Very clearly trying not to laugh but also taking this serious "Your mothers on a tirade" Kizashi supplied to the kids, like they didn't already know, as Mebuki stormed back and forth, making several points rather angrily.

"Err Mom I hate to interrupt but we have a situation, well I have a situation that I need your and Dad's help with, Shibi-sensei's help to, apparently Hiashi-sama has gotten it in his head that I'm the perfect match for his nephew Neji" Sakura smoothly interrupted.

Just as suddenly the tirade ended "Don't think I'm finished Shisui, I'm putting your scolding on hold, now Sakura-chan how exactly can we help" Mebuki paused and turned her attention on her daughter it was important after all.

"Hiashi-sama needs to speak with you two, and Shibi-sensei to put the thought of a betrothal between me and Neji out of his head, he needs concrete evidence that I'm already in one and not about to change it for him" the rosette explained further.

"Leave that to us Sakura-chan, though you'll have to be at the meeting as well" the pink haired male nodded understanding that this was something serious, Hiashi Hyuga was a stubborn man and his daughter was not getting involved in that.

Not when she had Shino who matched her perfectly in every way "Let me summon Mibojin-sama to go inform Shibi-sensei, who will no doubt get in contact with Hiashi-sama" Sakura flashed through a set of hand signs.

Then in a puff of smoke her summons was before her "Sakura-sama you have need of me" Mibojin greeted respectfully, eagerly awaiting whatever orders she was about to give him, Shisui watching with interest how the two interacted with one another.

"Yes Mibojin-sama, I need you to go inform Shibi-sensei that the Head of the Hyuga Clan wants to set up a betrothal contract between myself and Neji, he needs to know so that a meeting can happen to put a stop to it" the fuscia haired teen instructed.

Mibojin blinked all eight of his eyes before disappearing in a plume of smoke "Anyway I'm going to get started on that idea I had" Naruto cleared his throat and plopped down at the low sitting table, pulling out a sheaf of papers, scrolls, ink and a brush, and started writing furiously.

Kizashi was definitely curious but was distracted as Mibojin returned "He's sent a message to Hyuga-san, is there anything else you wish for me to do Sakura-sama" Mibojin informed, Sakura pressed a finger to her lips thinking.

"I think that's all for now Mibojin-sama, thank you very much and here's a fly for your good work" Sakura shook her head and produced a couple of juicy flies for her summons, who spun his web around his rewards and vanished in an a puff of smoke.

Mebuki chose that moment to start in on Shisui again as Sakura sat at the low table with Naruto, also pulling out a scroll to start smoothing things over for Zabuza with his old village, later on she would have to go see Ittei for her schedule.

Lots of things to do with little time to do them it seemed as she wrote neatly as possible wanting to be seen as serious and professional, halfway through the letter she heard a familiar hissing noise that she associated with Shino's kikaichu.

And looked up to find a small horde of them above her head, Naruto didn't even get freaked out like he usually would "What's Shino thinking sending so many" the blonde frowned in confusion but Sakura pulled out some honey and another scroll.

Swiping the honey over the paper for the kikaichu to land on and form the message Shino wished to relay to her ~Heard from my Father about the problem, do not worry, why because our contract is not in danger~ the message read.

The kikaichu drifted up into a swarm again and Sakura thought about what she wanted to send back to her boyfriend, writing in the honey for the Kikaichu until they escaped from an open window "Messages" the pinkette explained for Naruto.

Returning her attention onto the letter that would be sent to the Mizukage "Furthermore Shisui if you ever pull another stunt like that, there will be no forgiveness next time" Mebuki seemed to be finishing up with her tirade several minutes later as she tied the scroll with a fancy ribbon.

"You don't have to worry Mebuki-san, I take full responsibility for my actions, they were wrong I can see that now, I'm here to stay for good" Shisui held up his hands hoping that he wouldn't get decked in the face, the woman before him was known for it sometimes.

Mebuki huffed then vanished into the kitchen to get started on early lunch for the lot of them "Excuse me for a bit, I have to go send this off, then talk to Tsunade-sama and do some other things" Sakura stood abruptly, jarring Naruto who was in the midst of thinking.

Shisui was quick on his feet, grabbing the sleeve of the kimono he vaguely remembered gifting her should she become Chunin and was whisked away in a flurry of sweet smelling cherry blossoms "That reminds me Sakura-chan I want to see your genjutsu sometime" he commented.

"Just gonna warn you now Shisui-ni that it won't be pretty" the rosette warned, placing the letter meant for the Mizukage in a messenger birds harness, watching it fly away to hopefully reach Hidden Mist without any trouble.

Before she was off again to the Hokage Tower "What can I do for you brat" Tsunade set aside the pile of paperwork she was working on when her unofficial apprentice knocked on the open door, only entering the office when she waved her hand with a tag-along.

"The message to the Mizukage has been sent off, I was wondering about something, what do you have to go through to be an academy instructor, the idea is interesting" Sakura inquired curiously while Shisui openly gaped at her again.

Even Tsunade seemed a little surprised "Many things Sakura, your asking because of that fuinjutsu idea blonde brat wants to implement aren't you" the honey eyed woman immediately interpreted why her almost apprentice would be interested in that.

"Partially Tsunade-sama, there are a few things I'd like to implement myself you know, but I really do like kids, their the next generation of our village, they need to be taught properly so they can also inherit the will of fire we take great pride in" the girl blushed lightly.

And Shisui was so, so proud of her "Way to go Sakura-chan, you've learned well" the Uchiha pat her gently on the back, amazed at the many changes he saw in her, most good, one or two changes bothered him though, but there was little he could do about them.

"Very well, fill this out Sakura and take one for blonde brat if he gets interested as well, then take it to the principle of the academy, he'll give you the material you need to study for the academy instructor exam" Tsunade sighed knowing the girl wouldn't relent.

Before handing over a sheaf of paperwork, two stacks of it to be precise and Sakura's eyes rounded in surprise by the amount of it "Roger that Tsunade-shishou, I can't wait to officially be known as your apprentice" Sakura smiled.

Sealing the stacks in two separate scrolls so they wouldn't accidentally get mixed up, it would be a pain to organize everything "There's gonna be a meeting on the roof in about four hours, make sure you show up brat, you as well Uchiha" the honey eyed woman announced.

Watching them head out the door "Got it, so where are we going next Sakura-chan" Shisui questioned a little surprised that she was so serious about things and becoming an academy instructor was definitely a shocker to him.

"Hospital to talk to Ittei-sama, inform him of my two week break and get my schedule for when it's time to go back to work" the rosette ticked off her fingers, then it'll be back home for lunch and afterwards the village wide meeting that Tsunade was organizing.

"Don't you sit back and relax at all Sakura-chan" the raven haired male pouted this wasn't exactly how he imagined the girl turning out at all, her polite respectful way of speaking to people was something he hadn't expected would change but the rest was definitely strange.

Especially when she shook her head "Nope, I have to work hard to earn my place in the village, I'm the only one from my generation that doesn't come from a shinobi clan that means proving my worth to the higher ups" Sakura informed.

Right as they reached the hospital and vanished within, immediately the receptionist began glaring "Please don't tell me another Uchiha has come wanting to work here" the woman scoffed derisively in a tone filled with disgust.

And now Shisui could understand why Sakura got so defensive over Sasuke being a medic when Tsunade had scoffed about it "Even if Shisui-ni was here to become a medic you wouldn't be able to stop him because that's not up to you" the pinkette snipped out.

Stalking her way deeper into the hospital and because he wasn't a medic, Shisui was left to be glared at by the receptionist, feeling extremely uncomfortable "Haruno-san what are you doing here" Ittei was surprised to see her because he thought she had two weeks off.

"To inform you of my two week break, and get my schedule so I can memorize it, also Hanako-san has had a lapse in her manners again" Sakura explained unafraid to tell on the woman who was downright rude to people and patients that came in ninety percent of the time.

Ittei sighed, sad that one of his own employee's was so terrible "Perhaps she'll be the first to go during the review of medical staff and employee's" the purple haired man rubbed his temples feeling tired hardly able to wait until the girl's break ended.

But he did hand over the schedule Sakura wanted "Thanks, here it's some lavender oil" the girl was to kind as she fished a flask of oil from her medical pouch and held it out to him, he gratefully took it while she turned on her heel with a wave and vanished from sight.

"Thank kami I was about to snap at that woman if she didn't stop glaring at me, poor Sasuke-chan having to put up with that creep" Shisui grumbled, unimpressed by the lack of respect the woman had displayed towards him.

Sakura crinkled her nose "Well that's Hanako-san for you, she's been scolded you know, it's never stopped her from continuing to do it though" Sakura admitted as they finally headed back down the streets to her house.

Where they found lunch ready "You think you can check over what I've got so far on the outline Sakura-chan" Naruto questioned the moment she and Shisui sat at the table, managing to take a break from his side project.

"Mind if I add my own idea's, and of course I can check it over for you Naruto" the rosette brightened in excitement, eating with manners, while Shisui practically salivated over the food since it had been a long, long time that he'd eaten Mebuki's cooking.

Right as they were finishing up a foreboding knock came on the door, when Kizashi returned it was with Hiashi and Neji Hyuga, followed by Shibi and Shino Aburame "I was unaware you were already in a betrothal contract" Hiashi cleared his throat glancing to young girl.

Starting the meeting "Yes, the children have only known for a couple of months themselves, my apologies I'm Mebuki Haruno, Sakura's mother" Mebuki piped in, hoping this would be ended peacefully, conflict was never good after all.

"How did you figure that the young Aburame Heir would be the ideal partner for your daughter, my nephew can match her intellectually, stimulate her in an active way he probably can't" Hiashi narrowed his pale lavender eyes.

Not having thought that the young girl who'd befriended his eldest daughter would turn out to be such a formidable kunoichi just at her current age of thirteen, avoiding Orochimaru, making chunin, becoming a fully qualified medic, it was unfathomable to him.

Yet he also understood that the girl had talents and the ability to master chakra control should she expand on it which is why he wanted her as a partner for his nephew "Regardless of what you think Hyuga-sama, Shino-kun and Sakura-chan are in a relationship" Kizashi cleared his throat.

It was definitely news to him "If your done harping Hiashi, a betrothal contract is already in place and the children don't wish to have it taken away from them" Shibi interrupted before the man could continue with whatever he was about to say.

Sakura had to valiantly fight down her giggles at the man's appalled expression when Shibi accused him of harping "Very well it seems we're done here" Hiashi held his head high, to keep his dignity in tact then marched from the house.

"Forgive my Uncle, also Sakura-san, I'm not as I use to be, Hinata-sama and I have made up just in case you weren't aware" Neji bowed his head, admitting that much to the girl before following his uncle from the house.

Sakura sighed and slumped into a sitting position at the low living room table, Naruto immediately pushed over the outline he'd started earlier, so she started reviewing it, scratching out a few things she know wouldn't go over well and adding a few things in there herself that she thought was reasonable.

Until the time ticked down into nothing "The new Hokage has called a village wide meeting, everyone, civilian and shinobi alike are to attend" Sasuke popped into the house in a flurry of black crow feathers to Shisui's fascination.

Before disappearing just as suddenly, the outline was put away and the lot of them hurried down the streets to the Hokage Tower, "Go on Sakura-chan, Naruto-chan, Shisui" Kizashi waved them off knowing that the active shinobi needed to be up there on the roof with the new Hokage.

Who seemed to be a women, he hadn't expected that really as the three of them vanished in a flurry of whatever their signature was, though Shisui didn't have a signature and appeared on the roof, Tsunade was glad to see them.

Then she took a deep breath and turned to face the civilians below "I am Tsunade Senju, as of this moment I am Hokage, your lives are in my hands now and I promise that I will protect this village until my dying breath" she began.

Addressing the civilians first and introducing herself, giving a vow that she would protect them no matter what happened, then came the hard part "As many of you have noticed already Shisui Uchiha is alive and well, I'm reinstating him as an active Jonin" Tsunade continued.

Gesturing for Shisui to take center stage "Right so uh as you can see I'm not dead, that would be because of Shizune Kato, when I tried to commit suicide, I washed up on the bank of Naka River and she healed me, later on implanting these eyes into my eye sockets" Shisui explained.

Feeling the heated glares and the many betrayed looks, it was like they were asking him if they weren't considered trustworthy enough "Why didn't you at least let Lord Third know instead of allowing everyone to think you were deceased" Sasuke scowled.

Valiantly trying to reign in his violent emotions of anger and hatred until Sakura gripped his hand "I thought it would be best for everyone if I was thought of as dead, I know I'm in the wrong now and there's nothing I can do except work hard to make it up to everyone" Shisui bowed his head.

The scowl on Sasuke's lips deepened but he didn't ask anymore, "I object to him being reinstated, what if he tries to do this again, he's a liability Tsunade-sama" an unfamiliar Jonin piped in, raising his voice to be heard when complaints started about his objection.

Shisui understood though "Be quiet I will not repeal my decision on reinstating Shisui, he's learned his lesson regardless of his actions he had reasons, he's more trustworthy than you know, now does anyone else have a problem with my order" Tsunade snapped.

Practically shouting until the noise died down, no one else spoke up "Good consider yourself an active shinobi again Shisui, now moving on, in two months time there will be an inauguration ceremony, I expect everyone to attend, Shinobi and Civilian alike" the honey eyed woman announced.

A look on her face told anyone who thought about objecting that they'd find themselves punched off the roof "No objections I see you lot learn fast, now I'm making a village wide announcement, Zabuza Momochi is under my protection, should anyone harm him or attempt to kill him they will be faced with serious consequences" Tsunade revealed.

While Kakashi shot the formerly disguised rogue a confused look "Due to the fact that your under protection and need accommodations, I'll be placing you with Kakashi Hatake" the woman said in a tone that said argue or be put in a coma.

Kakashi merely nodded in understanding "Now for the more serious matters, as of two hours ago I learned of a very miraculous feat, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura step forward" Tsunade demanded of the two, one a genin still the other a Chunin.

"For your valiant efforts to protect the Hidden Leaf Village against internal conflict by Danzo Shimura, as newly promoted genin, I promote you Sasuke Uchiha to Chunin and award the both of you with a medal of honor" Tsunade announced.

And the two stood tall as the medals were placed around their necks, many Jonin choked on their saliva as they realized exactly who it was that had the procured evidence needed that landed the former elder Danzo Shimura in jail where he was to be executed very soon.

Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to do it so the grizzly task was left to his student and successor of the leadership to the Hidden Leaf Village "Lastly as of now, Sakura Haruno is considered my apprentice and eventually will inherit the title of Sannin from me" Tsunade finished.

Giving the highest honor that she could to the young girl, while at the same time placing a lot of pressure on Sakura's shoulders, her duties weren't to just her village anymore, but to her new Mistress who happened to be Hokage.

With that they were all dismissed "Well I'm glad to be back" Naruto huffed, not having expected all that had happened "How could you not let me help you take down whoever that Danzo guy was" he pouted unhappily.

Realizing why his friends had been so secretive those few days after they'd become genin "Because you would have blabbed and shouted to the rooftops about what we were doing, losing the element of surprise Dope" Sasuke grunted.

"Now, now Sasuke there's no need for acerbic remarks like that, Naruto's changed a lot, besides we're home that's all that matters" Sakura rolled her eyes glad to be home to because home was where her heart was and she wouldn't change it for the world.


	28. Major Overhauls & Ominous Meetings

The next couple of days proved to be downright chaotic "Sakura have you seen my scalpel" Sasuke shouted on his way to the hospital, having misplaced his medical tool somehow in the one day he'd been off and he needed it because today he would be helping out in surgery.

"On your bedside table Sasuke, please try to be a little more organized, you're a Chunin now remember" Sakura yelled back, settled at the low living room table and furiously working on filling out the necessary paperwork to become an academy instructor still.

Because people were needy and wanted information on how she and Sasuke had infiltrated Danzo's office without being caught, Kakashi Hatake for example, though they became completely baffled at the simple answer of Fuinjutsu and left her alone afterwards.

Naruto had opted out of becoming an instructor, merely wanting to make the academy better with a better curriculum, off to the side on the couch, Shisui covered his mouth "Just as blunt and brutal as ever aren't you Sakura-chan" Shisui sniggered completely amused.

Falling silent as Sasuke stalked down the stairs and through the living room, still giving his cousin the cold shoulder then vanished out the door after sliding his feet into his sandals "Course she is Shisui, not to mention obsessive with packing properly for mission and such" Naruto grinned.

Earning a silent whack over the back of his head "Hey packing right can determine life or death Naruto so stuff it" the rosette huffed with no real heat behind her words, in fact she hadn't even looked up from that stack of paperwork she was working on to rebuff him.

"Are you really serious about becoming a part-time academy instructor Sakura-chan, what about your work at the hospital or being Baa-chan's new apprentice, that's just adding more work to your already heavy workload" the blonde frowned.

Concerned for the girl who was taking on a lot of duties for the sake of the village "If anyone can do it, it's Sakura-chan so don't worry so much Naruto-chan okay" the Uchiha sat on the couch assured gently knowing he was simply worried about Sakura which was endearing.

Sakura had always wanted to help Naruto and it seemed she'd found a way to do just that, his train of thought was interrupted by the plume of smoke that filled the expanse of the living room "For you Haruno-san" when the smoke was gone it unveiled an Anbu.

Holding out a scroll stamped with Mist's crest, Sakura quickly shoved her paperwork off to the side and took the scroll, then the Anbu was gone leaving her to stare down at the scroll in trepidation before slowly peeling the edges back to unroll it.

~To Haruno Sakura-san

Regardless of you pleading Zabuza Momochi's case we can't simply allow him to run amok, either you had him over peacefully or more drastic measures will be taken to acquire him and have him executed as he should be.

Sincerely Mist's Mizukage~

That was it, one tiny paragraph "Wow the Mizukage sounds like an asshole" Naruto scowled, reading over Sakura's shoulder to read what was written as well, even if he didn't truly trust the guy, everyone deserved a second chance to make things right, take Shisui for example.

He was suffering for one mistake and yet everyone was giving him another chance "It's a woman Naruto, anyway I figured that might be the case for our first correspondence letter, there are other ways I can convince her" Sakura pointed out rather bluntly and Naruto choked.

As she pulled out a letter scroll then began scribbling furiously on it, writing this long detailed letter before tying it with a fancy ribbon to send off later "How exactly are you going to convince the Mizukage Sakura-chan" Shisui questioned.

Curious of her methods "Make Zabuza take an oath, and use fuinjutsu to bind him to his word" the pinkette answered simply, fuinjutsu seemed to be her most favored answer actually and he really wanted to groan in frustration.

"What happens when you can't rely on fuinjutsu Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde Uzumaki questioned scribbling down a few more things on his outline for Sakura to look over, they needed at least ten things to be taken seriously on this at least that's what Baa-chan had told him.

Sakura finally decided to look up from her paperwork "Naruto-chan is right Sakura-chan, you can't always depend on sealing jutsu to get you through life" the raven haired male nodded in agreement with the preteen.

Her brows creased "I know that's why I'm thinking of other negotiation tactics, that's just one of many, such as a trial based period to ascertain the Mizukage he's serious about changing his ways, keeping bandits and such from attacking the Land of Waves, it's a good start" Sakura announced.

Both males in the room with her blinked before Shisui really did groan like he wanted to earlier "Sometimes your to much Sakura-chan" Shisui deadpanned, rubbing his eyes, feeling exhausted all over again with a raging headache.

Until Sakura threw something at him "Lavender oil, it's good for headaches" Naruto saw the confusion on Shisui's face as he lifted the vial Sakura had thrown at him to eye level to inspect it no doubt, though at the explanation Shisui was all to happy to use some.

Then wiggle into a laying position on the couch to relax for a bit while the two Chunin redoubled their efforts on their side projects "Come to think of it Sakura-chan you didn't explain how your going to work your schedule to do all those duties you now have and want to take on" the blonde piped in.

Five minutes later when he was taking a break to check over his outline, trying to keep it as realistic as possible otherwise Sakura would just scribble things out "Ittei-sama is very lenient Naruto, the hospital schedule will be easy to work around" the fuscia haired teen listed.

Knowing he was just concerned that she was taking on to much and she wouldn't be able to handle the pressure of all those duties, what he didn't realize was that now being officially recognized as the new Hokage's apprentice, that pressure was tripled and she had to keep up appearances.

Or she'd shame her Shishou, by involving herself with the academy it showed that she was working on helping to better the village in her own way, Shisui was silent this time, listening to the conversation going on around him with keen awareness.

Sitting up only when the door slammed open followed by a shout of pain all eyes turned to find a masked man, probably one of Danzo's root operatives, laid passed out in the foyer from the extreme shock he'd just experienced from the protective seals that covered the house.

"Guess I'll give it to fuinjutsu this one time, those seals of yours are pretty clever Sakura-chan, Naruto-chan" the Uchiha chuckled rising from the couch and edging towards the unconscious shinobi, nudging him with a sandal-encased foot just to make sure he was really out.

And heaving the man onto his shoulder to take to T&I "Their making their move against me and Sasuke, revenge for their master" Sakura said looking grim, this was probably why the Third had been reluctant to announce their names for fear of them being attacked.

"Understood, I'll tell Morino that" Shisui nodded seriously, shunshining away to Torture & Interrogation HQ, informing the Anbu Commander of what Sakura had told him then disappearing like the wind back to the Haruno House.

Flopping down on the couch again now that his task was complete since no missions had been forthcoming since he'd been reinstated, Tsunade was most likely trying to allow him to get settled back in the village before saddling him with work, he could appreciate it but he was also bored.

"Here what do you think so far Sakura-chan" Naruto asked eight minutes later, shoving his academy curriculum outline towards Sakura to be reviewed, it was just a rough-draft sure, but right now he was just in the planning stages of his idea.

Emerald orbs flew across words and through pages quickly yet efficiently, ink brush and feathered pen at the ready to cross out anything that might be to unrealistic or to write down reasons why those idea's wouldn't work, with idea's for ones that might possibly work.

Then the stack was placed before him again "There you go Naruto, now I really must get this finished, I hate procrastinating after all" Sakura announced when she was done, snapping up her own pile of paperwork to continuing working on filling it out.

And finally finishing at exactly 1400 hours, two hours after a delicious lunch in which she prepared "Home, exhausted please tell me there's food left" the youngest Uchiha remaining stumbled into the house twenty minutes after that.

Done with work at the hospital for the day, Sakura pointed to the kitchen silently "Right" Sasuke blew out a breath of relief vanishing to the kitchen and found a plate with his name on it, no not literally but he knew it was his all the same as he reheated it then sat to eat.

While Sakura stood, grabbing up the letter scroll and dissolved into a scattering of cherry blossom petals as she body flickered to the messenger bird tower to send off the second letter to the Mizukage, then once she couldn't see the bird anymore set her sights on the academy.

"Hokage-sama told me you might be coming, she also said that Naruto might be with you, did he decide against wanting to be a part-time instructor" the principle greeted when she stepped into his office sporting a very determined expression, shoulders straight and head held high.

Sakura nodded to his question "He didn't think he'd be a very good instructor, I on the other hand wish to help kids improve so long as I'm allowed to have a flexible schedule, so what's the exam like" the rosette inquired seriously, curious as well because she'd never heard talk of this particular exam around the village.

"First pass the exam then we'll talk about your schedule and how many hours you want to put in, it's unlike the Chunin Exams I'll tell you that much, here's all the material you need to study for it" the principle snorted not falling for her pout, she was just gonna have to learn for herself.

Deflected from getting a straight answer Sakura simply gave up on finding out what the academy instructor's exam was like "May I ask when the exam will be" Sakura questioned, wanting to know so she knew how much time she had to prepare for it.

"A month and a half Haruno, normally it's two months, but your about two weeks late in handing all that paperwork in, hope you know how to cram" the principle chuckled amused but the thirteen year old didn't seem to worried, instead she bowed as best she could.

With her arms full of books and scrolls before vanishing in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Whoa what's with all that stuff" the ebony haired preteen gaped at the amount of books and scrolls she was carrying the moment she returned to the house.

"You see Sasuke since you've been so busy ignoring Shisui-ni, and by extension myself you didn't know that I decided to become a part-time academy instructor" the fuscia haired teen quipped with a giggle as she plopped down carefully, grabbing the first book from the pile.

Cracking it open to read and study, making notes as she went along "Did the principle tell you anything about what the exam is like or what's going to be on it or even when it was" the blue eyed blonde Uzumaki rattled off question after question.

Not exactly interested for his own sake but for hers "I have a month and a half and no he didn't tell me anything else, I suppose it's understandable, I wouldn't want anyone to try and figure out a way to cheat either" Sakura shrugged not to bothered by the lack of information.

Plus she absolutely loved studying for things, she loved challenging her intelligence to "Those kids at the academy won't know what hit them" the older Uchiha chuckled thoroughly amused by the antics of the teenagers or almost teenagers as the case still was for Naruto and Sasuke.

Who turned his head a scowl on his lips that was totally reminiscent of Fugaku's it was uncanny "Kids we're home, sorry to say this but for the next three weeks we'll be out on our sales trip, all the way to Kumogakure this time" Mebuki was the next person to throw open the door.

Announcing the news to the whole house "Shisui's in charge while we're gone so make sure you behave yourselves for him" Kizashi warned then the older Haruno's vanished up the stairs to get started on packing their wares and whatever else they needed for the trip to Kumogakure.

Leaving behind a shocked Shisui, while Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura seemed to be use to having the older Haruno's up and vanish on them for weeks at a time "Oi Sakura do you still have that other stack of paperwork to take the academy instructor exam" Sasuke demanded to know a second later.

Before seconds later the second stack that she'd received from Tsunade was place in front of him, to which he promptly began filling it all out "Don't tell me you want to be a part-time instructor to Teme" Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"If it's what he wants Naruto-chan then we can't stop Sasuke-chan from filling that paperwork out and turning it in to take the exam to" Shisui scolded lightly, unsure of how to really be in charge of three teenagers, who were all active shinobi, Chunin Rank to be precise.

Sweet silence came after that as Naruto focused his attention on his outline rough-draft, the sounds of packing sounded above them and exactly two hours later Mebuki and Kizashi were on their way out the door, yelling goodbye over their shoulders to the kids and Shisui before they were gone.

"That's a lot of paperwork" the youngest Uchiha in existence groaned as he healed his aching wrist not even halfway through filling it all out, he'd probably have even less time to study than Sakura did, good thing he had a knack for cram studying then.

Sakura nodded sagely in agreement as she popped up from the floor closing the book she'd been reading for the last few hours and disappeared into the kitchen "I'm just going to get started on lunch" the pinkette called, pulling out a bunch of things to cook the afternoon meal.

Just as she really got going a knock on the door came "Don't worry Sakura-chan I've got it" the blue eyed goofy blonde leapt to his feet and hurried to answer the door, "She's in the kitchen" she heard him say followed by the shuffling of feet on carpet.

Who it was she didn't know because they were masking their chakra until they were stood in the kitchen with her "Surprise Sakura-san, I thought I'd come for a visit" Hayate coughed not as awkward as he use to be, she'd saved his life, he felt indebted but she'd asked for nothing.

"We thought we'd come for a visit you mean Hayate-kun, heard from a little birdie that your intending on becoming a part-time academy sensei, is it true Sakura-san" Yugao Uzuki was a very pretty woman, long purple hair and warm brown eyes it was easy to see how Hayate had fallen for her.

Sakura nodded her head in answer "It's true Yugao-san, I'm already getting heat for Tsunade-shishou taking me on as her apprentice and not being clan born like the rest of my classmates so I want to improve my standing in the village and help kids out at the same time" Sakura admitted.

Both adults frowned "You shouldn't have to prove anything Sakura-san, you're a chunin slow down a little and enjoy your rank" the mahogany haired man commented, leaning against a chair and watching as she padded about cooking the afternoon meal for the yahoo's in the living room.

"My apologies I'm interrupting your conversation aren't I why because you each wear frowns upon your faces" Shino decided at that moment to come and visit as well, having felt that two days was enough to not see his girlfriend after going a month of not seeing her.

Hayate cleared his throat "Not at all Shino-san" the purple haired woman waved her hand lightly, taking a seat at the kitchen table, her fiance doing the same, they actually hadn't come here to harp on the girl but she was pushing herself and it worried them.

Shino let a smile curl his lips as he watched Sakura prepare an elaborate meal for them "Barring that what sorts of things do you think you'll actually be teaching kids" Hayate could deny it all he wanted but he was truly curious about the girl who'd saved his life.

Even if she wanted for nothing from him he felt obligated "Well the first thing I thought about was how the civilian born and orphan academy students don't get their own ninja gear, I know it was a struggle for me, so I want to request funding to get them their own gear" the rosette mused.

"Teach them the basics of throwing isn't that right Sakura-chan, then leave the rest to Iruka-sensei and the other sensei of the academy" Naruto grinned as he shuffled into the kitchen knowing her thought process well because she'd run it by him several times to make sure it didn't sound stupid.

Yugao smiled at that, only Sakura would have come up with something to help out orphans and children of civilian descent who wanted to become shinobi "Good luck on your testing then Sakura-san" Yugao smiled boosting the young girl's confidence.

"She's not the only one, I decided to become an instructor to, raise the standing of the last remaining Uchiha in the public eye, so my family name will stop being dragged through the mud" Sasuke grunted as he plopped gracelessly in a chair at the table that was quickly filling up.

The last to join them was Shisui "Can I ask how she knows you two" and of course Shisui was curious as to how they a special jonin and a member of the anbu black ops knew a chunin girl that had no clan backing whatsoever it was certainly strange if he did say so himself.

"Kabuto Yakushi and a Hidden Sand Jonin, Baki if I remember killed me, if it weren't for Sakura-san and a Cloud Shinobi who was a medic, I would still be dead, Yugao wished to meet her so here we are" the mahogany haired man coughed out an explanation.

Fiancee nodding in agreement "Exactly Shisui-san, plus the real reason we can here was so that I could ask if you'd take part in our wedding, by being the flower girl" the purple haired woman asked nervously unsure of how the girl would take the request.

Not that she had to worry any "Just tell me the time, place, date and what color dress you want me to wear and I'll be there Yugao-san" the fuscia haired teen accepted the request half a second later, making the finishing touches on lunch.

Before piling plates high, pouring green tea and taking her place at the head of the table in her mom's usual spot, Shino right next to her "Have your parents gone off and left you again, why because I notice their not here nor do I sense them" the Aburame heir frowned.

"Sales trip to Kumogakure for three weeks Shino-kun, oh I nearly forgot, but I made a barrier formula for you" the pinkette stated, then remembered and dug the scroll with the formula on it out of her storage pouch to gift to Shino, along with another scroll that held his souvenir in it.

He raised a mahogany brow at it but accepted both scrolls to look over or unseal later when they weren't eating "Like I said Shisui lovey-dovey it's so bleh you know" the lone blonde at the table gagged seeing the way Sakura and Shino acted around one another.

"It's not a bad thing Naruto-san, I think it's absolutely adorable that Sakura-san has someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with" Yugao laughed softly at his antics, it was always a riot joining the kids and now was definitely no different.

Her fiance even threw in a little chuckle himself "Just wait until someone comes wanting to betroth you to their daughter Naruto-san, then you'll have to learn fast how to be lovey-dovey as you put it" Hayate pointed out with a sound that was between a laugh and a cough.

Watching the boy turn beet red "Come on you guys stop picking on me, first Sakura-chan now you" Naruto puffed out his cheeks which were flushed in embarrassment, not having expected anyone else would say what Sakura had told him three days ago in the Hokage's office.

"That reminds me Hyuga's been skulking around lately, the patriarch I think" Sasuke snapped his fingers remembering what he'd seen the other day, until the man had high-tailed it from the civilian section unaware that he'd been seen most likely.

Shisui, Sakura, Shino and Naruto straightened "You don't think he's got it in his head still do you Sakura-chan" Shisui frowned concerned that the Hyuga Clan Patriarch was still trying to figure out a way to get Sakura betrothed to Neji, despite what had been said yesterday.

At his question the girl shrugged, contemplative as she chewed on her fried asparagus, mouth closed as manners dictated "No idea Shisui-ni, it's a kind of wait and see sort of thing you know" Sakura frowned deeply, hoping that it wasn't the case.

"Is something going on that we should know about, all four of you tensed at the exact same time so something is up" Yugao narrowed her brown eyes, concerned that something they couldn't handle had happened and wanting to know so she could figure out something to help them.

"First day back Neji-san approached Sakura-chan, telling her Hiashi-sama wished to betroth them to one another, we thought the matter had been settled when he had a meeting with Sakura-chan's parents, Shibi-sama and herself and was told she was already in a contract" Shisui answered.

Definitely worrisome but for now they would put it out of their mind until something actually did happen, eventually lunch was devoured and everyone helped to clean up "It was good to see you after your month of absence" the onyx eyed brunet coughed.

Waving as he strapped his sandals onto his feet "Before I forget, the wedding is two months from now, at 1500 hundred hours on the Hokage Mountain, wear green" the purple haired woman scribbled down some information and gave it to Sakura.

Then the both of them were out the door, a few hours later Sasuke finished up the paperwork and disappeared in a flurry of crow feathers "Is there a reason Sasuke-chan chose crow feathers for his signature during body flicker" the older Uchiha had to ask.

"Because you and Itachi can summon crows, he never signed on with them you know, the cat summons of your clan" Sakura pointed out bluntly it had been Sasuke's biggest reasoning, wanting to commemorate the duo in his own way by having crow feathers as his signature.

Shisui chuckled "So your really going to become an academy instructor, why because I see you studying for it already" Shino commented eyeing the three stacks of books and the pile of scrolls situated on the table that she was reading from.

Furiously scribbling down notes as she went keeping to her studious nature as always "Mhm, Sasuke to apparently, by that time there should only be two months before the new Chunin Exams come around" Sakura smiled sweetly adoring the Aburame Heir.

Earning a hand squeeze and Shisui had to keep from squealing like a girl at the action, Naruto fake-gagged again only to scream as a kikaichu hissed in his ear "The heck are you screaming for Dope" Sasuke returned in that moment a mountain of books and scrolls in his arms.

Though he could have just used the ones Sakura was using the principle wouldn't even hear of it, then plopped down and started studying trying to catch up with her "One of Shino's Kikaichu hissed in my ear" Naruto sulked all this did was make Shino smirk.

Before he decided to focus his efforts on his outline again "Speaking of insects I think I found a way to prevent Saidai from escaping anymore, why because my Father caught a female goliath beetle the other day" the brunet heir announced in the next moment.

While Naruto and Shisui shuddered, Sasuke was rather indifferent to it though "Good maybe he'll stop haunting my steps whenever I go out" the rosette glared at the giant beetle perched on a wooden beam in the house since they couldn't keep him in a tank anymore.

Unless he wanted to be in it, Shisui covered his mouth to keep from laughing "Right I'll bring her by tomorrow, why because I have a mission with Father later" Shino stood abruptly tugging Sakura up after him until they exited the house, he was quick to peck her on the lips before body flickering.

Three days later and a new addition to the bug habitat, Saidai was as happy as could be with his mate that Sakura named Surimu for her slightly smaller size, it also kept the damn beetle in his tank for once and not attached to her shoulder like a freaking parrot.

"You know Sakura-chan since your on break right now, we could go out and search for a panda ant, I remember you wanted to breed a panda ant colony and I promised to help you with it" Shisui suddenly remembered his promise from way back when.

Viridian orbs went wide "To late Shisui, Sakura already has a colony of panda ants, they're taking up residency in the Aburame Compound forest" Sasuke sniggered unsympathetic of his cousin's plight, talking to him now only to make fun of him really for losing out to Shino of all people.

Once upon a time he'd thought Sakura would end up with Shisui, not now though, Shino was much better for Sakura "Yeah and she got an award for saving an entire species of nearly extinct wingless wasps" Naruto piped in having heard and seen the award himself.

"Unfortunately Naruto is right, Lord Third awarded it to me himself, then the colony started growing to big for their habitat so Shibi-sensei and Shino-kun helped me relocate them" Sakura explained further to Shisui's shock, before she settled down to study some more.

In that manner two more days went by, making it a whole week that they'd returned from their B Ranked mission to bring back Tsunade "Ugh sometimes I hate the expectations put on me by the whole entire damn hospital staff just because I'm an Uchiha" Sasuke groaned.

Returning to the house that day after his hellish shift at the hospital, it had dragged on for two extra hours because he'd been pulled into emergency surgery for a team who had come in poisoned, lucky him he was good with poisons.

Not so much antidotes, those were Sakura's forte but at least he was able to figure out all the plants used in the poison to correctly concoct an antidote for the poisoned shinobi "At least they didn't make you participate in surgeries as a trainee like Ittei-sama did to me" Sakura snorted.

Shisui promptly sat up "You mean that man was making you help out in surgeries during your training period that's a little fucked up Sakura-chan" Shisui scowled unhappy that the girl had been forced into doing difficult things at only the age of twelve.

"Eh it wasn't so bad and Ittei-sama often apologized by buying me lunch" she shrugged absorbed in her studying still as much as Sasuke was now that his shift at the hospital was over, they were going to have overhaul their schedules once they took the instructors exams.

Find a schedule that allowed them to do things like they still wanted "Though that's not to say Sakura-chan and Sasuke didn't come home exhausted of chakra sometimes" Naruto commented pushing over his outline to be reviewed for the million time.

"At least try to keep things realistic Naruto, limited chakra control exercises are okay but tree-walking at their age is pushing it, but the rest seems to be looking good" Sakura scolded, scratching that from the list and reading through the rest with a smile.

With that the next four days passed by quickly, Shisui tentatively taking on C to B Rank Missions that kept him in or very near the village "Just behave okay you three" Shisui sighed on his way out the door for another one of those missions that Tsunade insisted on assigning him.

They waved him off preoccupied by either studying or finishing up the new academy curriculum outline "Go on Shisui, we don't actually need you to babysit us you know just because those two asked you two" Sasuke scoffed offended that Shisui thought they couldn't behave.

It's not as if they were still little brats that needed looking after, after all, so he hurried off to complete his mission, clearing out a bandit hideout that had appeared out of nowhere during their absence from the Hidden Leaf Village, making an oral report to Tsunade.

Before going home, it was so strange thinking of anywhere else than the Compound as home, but there he was living in a civilians house with three teenagers "That was fast, kami Shisui-ni do you really have to allow yourself to get that injured" Sakura gaped in horror.

Looking over the extensive yet shallow wounds he was covered in, it was like he hadn't even noticed, she sighed when he shrugged and pressed glowing green hands over those injuries, healing him right up before making him take a blood replenishing pill.

Just as an Anbu poofed into her home, the seals not counting the unknown chakra as a threat which was good because they didn't want to tweak the seals again "For you Haruno-san, Lady Hokage received it about two days ago, forgot about it until today" he held out a scroll.

Familiar and stamped with Hidden Mist's crest, Sakura shook her head amused at her Shishou though they hadn't had any training sessions yet and took the scroll, abandoning her studying for the moment to unroll the scroll and read the contents within.

~To Haruno Sakura-san

Do you really think Zabuza Momochi would have anything to do with a binding contract of such a degree, let alone want to protect the country he abandoned, if you can't give me valid proof, then I'm afraid I'll have to send someone to bring him in, sooner rather than later.

Sincerely Mist's Mizukage~

Again it was a very short letter, a single paragraph to be precise and Sakura sat down scribbling a third letter to send off, tying it with a fancy ribbon to indicate it's receiver, before summoning Mibojin to summon Zabuza to her house for a past-due talk about how negotiations were going.

He didn't make her wait very long and soon Zabuza was sitting on her couch with a cup of sake in his hands "So the Mizukage refuses should have expected that from Yagura the old bastard" Zabuza snorted not to shocked that things were not going well and the girl was having trouble.

"Wrong, the Mizukage is a woman now Zabuza and she's just not convinced that you've changed your ways and truly just wish to live in peace in the Land of Waves, is there anything you can think of that would prove your serious about this" the rosette pressed.

Determined to help because he'd asked, Zabuza glared at the floor for several minutes, the silence stretching uncomfortably between them until his gaze rose to meet hers again "Kubikiribocho, I'll give up the right to be a member of the Seven Legendary Swordsmen" the rogue answered.

"By turning over your sword, which provides the valid proof Mizukage-sama needs to see your serious about turning over a new leaf" Sakura snapped her fingers understanding instantly what he was talking about and quickly untied the ribbon on the letter scroll.

Furiously scribbling down more things and taking an ink brush to draw a storage seal at the end of the long detailed letter, Zabuza handed over his Kubikiribocho reluctantly and it was promptly sealed into the storage seal, where the letter scroll was tied with that neat little ribbon again.

Zabuza forced himself to leave the house after that, looking lost without his sword "One must make sacrifices if they wish for successful negotiations, sorry Zabuza" the pinkette apologized no decision was easy to make after all and some were harder than others.

"Who was that I just saw leaving your house, why because he seemed suspicious" Shino appeared in a cluster of Kikaichu beetles, opposed to knocking since he was worried that some weird person was trying to take off with his girlfriend, even if Hiashi had stopped skulking around.

"That was Zabuza you should remember him from the meeting Shino-kun, we were talking about how negotiations with his old village were going, anyway want to come with me to send this letter off to the Mizukage" Sakura smiled bright scooping up the scroll as she stood.

Shino of course would never deny her any request she asked of him "Perhaps even go on a date afterwards, why because we haven't been on one in a long while" the Aburame heir added smoothly and Sakura nodded her head eagerly as they body flickered hand in hand.

Immediately the letter to Mist's Leader was sent off and they hurried from the messenger bird tower to their favorite restaurant in the Hidden Leaf Village "Tomato and cucumber salad, pickled plum rice-balls, regular curry, two sticks of dango and green tea please" the rosette requested.

"Wild grass and winter melon salad for me, tempura sushi, curry, two sticks of dango and green tea for me as well and if you could have it boxed up that would be great, why because we're going to eat out" Shino pulled out his wallet.

Making a split second decision to have their orders boxed up to take elsewhere, Sakura was certainly curious but she wouldn't ruin any surprise he had in store for her, though she did help pay for their meal because she believed in equality between them.

Then once they had their orders, he took her by the hand and body flickered them clear across the village to his clan's compound "Oh wow the colony has really grown since the last time I saw it over a month ago" Sakura whispered in awe.

Seeing the many ant hills that her panda ant colony had built "Some have even ventured off outside the village if I recall and to other parts of the forest in the compound" the brunet heir informed as they settled on a thick, wide branch that comfortably sat the both of them.

"Interesting, maybe someday we can relocate part of the colony to another country, watch them breed and expand there as well" the fuscia haired teen commented in a speculative tone, it was a thought for later as they dug into their cooling food.

Watching the colony work long and hard to survive in their mostly new surroundings "Kumogakure seems like a likely choice for that, I'll talk to Father, start planning things for the move if you'd like, why because we don't like to procrastinate either" Shino offered.

Enjoying how her eyes lit up "That would be great Shino-kun and it shouldn't be to hard to get Raikage-sama to agree to it, since he actually seems to like me" Sakura giggled, he'd even defended her against Shisui that's how she knew really.

Soon enough nothing remained of their ordered meal "Well I suppose I'll see you soon for missions and the like again, why because there are only three days left of your break" the Aburame Heir stood on the branch with practiced ease.

Helping her onto her feet in the next moment as he held out his hand for her to take "Yeah this has been a great date Shino-kun, but just so you know I get to plan the next one" the pinkette quipped, reaching up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips before body flickering to his frustration.

Back to home where she found a disgruntled Naruto, a scowling Sasuke and and noticeably absent Shisui "Do I even want to know" Sakura sighed wishing boys matured like girls sometimes, because this was absolutely ridiculous when Sasuke scowled further and remained silent.

"It was Shisui's fault I'll tell you that much, accidentally wise though, they decided to roughhouse with one another and Shisui accidentally knocked into Mrs. Haruno's favorite vase that you gave her for her birthday as Sasuke so helpfully explained" Naruto piped in with an explanation.

Sakura's happy mood plummeted "And so he decided to run off and hide because he thought I'd be angry" the rosette sighed spying the pieces of shattered glass from the vase, so forgoing her studying for the time being, picked up every little piece of broken glass carefully.

Then set to repairing the vase she'd given her mother with chakra of course, another chakra control exercise, if one weren't careful with the amount of chakra used, it would repel the pieces and not be adhesive, or explode even as she'd learned upon experimentation with the exercise.

Sasuke immediately took notice of what she was doing and openly gaped "Hold up are you seriously fixing the vase with chakra" Sasuke questioned confused because he thought it would be impossible to ever repair or find another vase that was the broken ones replica.

"Mhm, it's a chakra control exercise I found that's not used anymore, it requires delicate control, maybe that's another thing I'll teach older students at the academy, how to fine-tune their chakra control, basic medicinal knowledge, genjutsu even" Sakura nodded.

Just then Shisui decided to return to the house carrying a vase that looked exactly like the one she was repairing and nearly dropped it upon seeing what she was doing much like Sasuke had, gaped openly because he'd never seen what she was doing either apparently.

Proving that the exercise had been lost and forgotten through the ages "Should have known" Shisui sighed, wondering what he was supposed to do with the bloody vase he'd bought now that it was a useless gesture so he could apologize to a not so angry Sakura.

She merely smiled and finished up with the repairs, before cracking open her books again to continue studying, letting a comfortable silence wash over them as they worked at their respective side-projects to be acknowledged for good deeds in the village someday.

And three days later Naruto and Sakura's two week break was over, Sakura who accompanied Naruto to the Hokage Tower to turn in his outline for a better academy curriculum to Tsunade, who'd demanded he have it on her desk in two weeks.

"I see you were hard at work blonde brat" Tsunade snorted, reviewing the outline with curious honey eyes, because she hadn't thought it would be over seven pages, each idea coming with a detailed explanation as to why the idea or change needed to be implemented.

~Eleven Things to Implement and Change~

Number 1, I propose a month long period for students who struggle with clone jutsu or any other academy level jutsu's.

First off, not all academy students are gonna be able to perform the basic clone jutsu necessary to pass the graduation exam to become genin, some take several or multiple tries to even manage a passing grade to become a full-fledged shinobi.

Number 2, Extra Training for those that don't have shinobi or clan backgrounds.

Civilian born children don't have the same training as clan children do, so their gonna struggle with subjects like jutsu's or genjutsu in later years, even throwing weapons, they don't have the basic training and are often scorned for being civilian descent.

Number 3, Funds for civilian born or orphan children.

Why, those children again aren't like clan children, whose parents are able to supply them with ninja gear, weapons and the like for their physical classes during the academy, with funds, weapons and the like can be bought for them until they become genin.

Number 4, New Classes at the Academy.

Providing a few new classes that are optional for academy students to take will interest them to want to learn more, fuinjutsu for one, it's a dying art, not many understand, yet it can be taught even to freshman academy students, basics of healing and elemental ninjutsu to.

Which give students options to choose from when they become genin, becoming medic-ninja, the Leaf Village needs more of those that aren't incompetent like most at the hospital, or sealing jutsu masters/mistresses.

Number 5, Tutoring.

It should be available to those that have trouble with learning, small doses or even in study groups, after hours when the academy lets out, it would improve academics among the students who struggle and entice them to not skip as much.

Number 6, Advanced Classes for Older Students.

Genjutsu is an often underrated skill, though many have the talent for it, if the subject was expanded upon, academy students about to graduate might find interest and even talent for the illusion jutsu.

Fine-tuning chakra control is another, so many students have below average chakra control it's unreal, it could be disastrous for a mission if a jutsu went wrong, thanks to under-average chakra control.

Expanding chakra reserves, this one is for the civilian born students, who are way behind their classmates from shinobi clans, and need to catch up before the big day known as academy graduation exams.

Number 7, Weekend Survival Training.

If not for the principle when we were nine, none of us would have even had any basic survival training at all, so kudos to that man for the one time he was actually smart enough to send us on a field trip to Tanzaku Town.

The Weekend idea is something I came up with, take a small groups at a time, and have a camp out in the forest or something to that effect, teach them how to catch fish or other animals, start a fire, things like that and as they get older it can become more challenging

Number 8, World History.

Needs to be expanded upon and not just limited to our own country, with other countries forging treaties with us, we need to be kept up to date who are our allies and who are our enemies, that means knowing cultural background of our allies and enemies.

Number 9, Background checks for Academy Sensei.

One of the biggest things that got me was how an academy sensei was able to forgo any sort of suspicion and trick an academy student into stealing the scroll of sealing so he could steal it and run off with it, six month checks or even yearly checks would have put a stop to his scheming.

Number 10, Stricter Rules for kunoichi in training.

Many of my female classmates were obsessed over Uchiha Sasuke, it prevented them from focusing on their training to become kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf Village, a class on proper conduct should be held at least once a week.

Number 11, Math.

Lastly math, it should be started at a more basic level, not so extremely advanced where most six years can't even understand the subject and get more challenging as academy students go from year to year.

~End~

Tsunade set the sheaf of papers on her desk "Just how much was you blonde brat and how much was you Sakura" the honey eyed blonde questioned still just as curious as before when she'd started reading through the outline.

"Numbers 2, 3, 5, and 9 Tsunade-shishou, the rest was Naruto I swear, he's right about most of it to the academy curriculum needs an overhaul or the village is going to start producing less and less competent shinobi or even less shinobi" Sakura admitted.

Her blonde knuckleheaded friend nodding "Yeah, yeah, Iruka-sensei's great and all, but most of us felt under-prepared when we did finally graduate and become genin" Naruto explained carefully hoping that none of the idea's were unrealistic.

The newly dubbed Hokage sat back in her chair "Once Sakura and Uchiha take the instructor's exam I'll start negotiations to implement those idea's and changes with the Village Elders and the principle and sensei's of the academy" Tsunade announced.

"Now off with you Sakura, blonde brat, Sakura has work to do at the hospital, later on show up for our first training session since I'll have ninety percent of today's paperwork completed which means I get to slack off a little" the woman grinned.

Ushering the two Chunin from her office, where they headed in opposite directions "Good your here Haruno-san, we were just about to start the reviewing of medical staff and employee's" Ittei greeted the moment she walked through the lobby doors.

Which were immediately locked it was closed for the day to get the overhaul of the hospital started and hopefully out of the way, upon entering the meeting room where all staff and employee's were currently amassed.

Hanako the receptionist began glaring at her, Shizune started scribbling down on her clipboard "As you know Tsunade-sama is now Hokage, which means the hospital is going to start experiencing some changes" Shizune cleared her throat.

Interrupting the glaring session "Those with high chakra control off to the right, above standard in the middle, and below average to the left, right those with high chakra will continue healing patients tomorrow, the rest will undergo training seen by myself and Ittei-san" Shizune continued.

Clicking her pen and writing down more notes "Everyone will also participate in a class for proper bedside manners to calm upset patient downs and show them we're professionals, those that don't show up will consider themselves fired" the woman narrowed her ebony eyes.

"And those that fail to complete the training to improve chakra control and healing efficiency will also consider themselves sacked from the hospital" Shizune stared hard at the ones who'd moved off to the left, far to many below average chakra control medics it made her uncomfortable.

They gulped at that and nodded in understanding "Lastly there will be new rules and regulations implemented, I'm leaving that up to Sakura Haruno, who is going to take over as Assistant to Head Medic on Tsunade-sama's command" Shizune finished.

While Sakura openly gaped, still getting glared at until Shizune approached Hanako "You have been consistently glaring at Sakura for the entirety of this meeting, I have heard more than enough foul rumors about you as well, so pack your things, your fired indefinitely" Shizune stated firmly.

With that Hanako the receptionist was no more "Now we will clean this hospital from top to bottom, all tools and medical scrubs, check on our herb supply, organize important documents and patient records, except you Sakura-san" Shizune clapped.

Sending the medics scrambling from the meeting room "I think I set myself up for an eternity of hell by asking Tsunade-shishou to take me on as an apprentice" Sakura sighed as she flopped gracelessly into a chair and started cranking off new rules and regulations to implement.

By the time her usual shift at the hospital was over, she still had way to many things to think about as she traipsed off to training with Tsunade, their first session together to be precise "Take you heard the news" Tsunade laughed seeing her exhausted expression.

"So long as you don't push me into that position way to soon for my liking I guess I'm fine with it, now what are you going to teach me first Tsunade-shishou" the young girl perked up in excitement, tiredness fading away like it had never been there.

Tsunade smirked "First your going to learn how to summon Katsuyu, while keeping your spider summons as Jiraiya so helpfully informed you can have more than one summons, it just takes time and effort to learn how to effectively summon both at the same time" the honey eyed woman declared.

Producing her summons scroll and laying it out for her new apprentice, Sakura knelt, biting her thumb as she did so, then wrote her name and printed her finger prints in an empty slot before flashing through a set of hand signs.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" Sakura pressed her hand to the ground thinking of which summons she wanted to bring out, only to be disappointed as Mibojin appeared before her in a puff of smoke and patchwork of seals.

He blinked all eight of his eyes at her "Sakura-sama what do you have need of me for….are you terminating our contract" Mibojin noticed the scroll beside him and immediately thought the worst, for why else would Sakura summon him.

"Of course not Mibojin-sama, there's a way to summon more than one creature at a time, so I'm trying to practice that, only you came out" the rosette laughed sheepishly, scooping the large spider into her arms and cuddling him.

Relieved Mibojin returned to wherever he was summoned from allowing Sakura to keep practicing, only she kept summoning a variety of younger spiders until in a fit of frustration and concentrating truly hard finally summoned a miniature version of Katsuyu.

"I was beginning to think I would have to end your practice session so we could move onto evasion training as any good medic, you must know how to avoid being caught or the whole team will be dead, also start gathering chakra here" Tsunade tapped her apprentice's forehead.

Sakura nodded seriously as Katsuyu vanished in a plume of smoke, she was going to have to keep practicing even when they couldn't train "Understood Tsunade-shishou" and so began the awfullest training session she'd ever been through.

And by the time she was allowed to go home she looked like a human pincushion "Have bratty Uchiha heal you, eat and go to bed" the blonde woman laughed watching the girl trudge off, clothes surprisingly in tact, though covered in a multitude of superficial wounds and bruises.

Upon entering the house Sasuke let out a shrill girly sounding scream at her appearance "Sakura oh kami are you alright what happened you weren't attacked were you" he was in full panic mode because he'd never seen her so beaten up before.

She blinked heavy lidded eyes at him "You sound like a girl Sasuke-chan can you heal me please" then she burst into hysterical giggles, brain to tired to make her function as she normally did, Sasuke immediately went silent.

"Holy crap Sakura-chan that training session with Baa-chan must have crazy" Naruto whistled seeing the damage, while struggling vainly to keep his laughter held in at her loopy expression, seems she was exhausted and her brain was practically already asleep.

Guess that meant giving her the letter scroll with the latest correspondence from the Mizukage later, probably tomorrow actually "Yep, yep, Tsunade-shishou's even crazier than Shibi-sensei" Sakura forced herself to focus a little.

When Sasuke was finished healing her wounds, he set a plate of food before her so she could eat "Make sure you take a shower Sakura-chan" Shisui called as she trudged up the steps, soon they could hear the water running before it shut off five minutes later, eventually they went to bed to.

~Hidden Rain Village~

"You'll never guess the kind of rumor I've heard floating around recently Itachi" the leader of the infamous organization Akatsuchi taunted at the end of their recent meeting about how to go about acquiring the Jinchuuriki of each village or land.

Cold black eyes trained on him in the next moment "Leader-sama if I may inquire as to what the rumor is" Itachi requested, thinking it was going to be something ridiculous such as Naruto Uzumaki doing something outrageous to that effect.

Absorbed in that thought as he was despite his stoic and cold expression, Itachi missed the smirk on Pein's face "The rumor regards a certain someone who was thought to be deceased until two weeks ago, when he was brought back to the village, Shisui Uchiha" Pein raised an orange brow.

"No way impossible besides his little brother Itachi-kun killed off the rest of his clan, didn't you Itachi-kun" Kisame burst out frowning deeply, this could be problematic, what if Itachi tried to sneak into the village again to end the life of his suddenly alive clan-mate.

Pein held up his hand "That's only one of the many rumors I've heard, the Leaf Village has a new Hokage, Tsunade Senju, and apparently your little brother had a hand in throwing one of the village elders in a cell to await execute, along with the girl you encountered" the man continued.

Itachi's expression betraying nothing to him at all "Leader just get to the fucking point of this conversation already" Hidan the immortal religious zealot of the organization growled irritated that this meeting was taking so long.

"My point is that I want Danzo with his head on a pike, Itachi your in charge of the mission, take whoever you need, also that girl Sakura Haruno, Sasori will help you capture her the next time she goes off on an outside the village mission" Pein finished dismissing his organization.

Kisame was the only one to see the flicker of emotion in usually blank obsidian irises "It's dangerous Itachi-kun and you know it" the blue haired shark like nin hissed at the younger male that was his Akatsuki partner.

"Orders are orders Kisame" Itachi sighed, staring up at the crescent moon and hoping the rumor about Shisui being alive was just that a rumor, not to mention how he was going to get Danzo out of a jail cell and all the way to Hidden Rain.

Lastly how could he ever even think to kidnap Sakura, he'd only said all that to keep up appearances that one time when he'd propositioned her to come with him, he sighed again, lost on what to do and needing Shisui's advice more than ever in that moment.


	29. Of Threats and Kidnappings

The next morning Sakura and Sasuke headed off for work "Guess we'll see you when you get back" Naruto waved working on his fuinjutsu again, that wasn't to say he wasn't still thinking about a few more things to change and implement into the academy curriculum though.

Both waved back and were off in a swirl of the signatures "Uchiha you'll be helping the ones with high chakra control go around heal patients, Haruno get to work on those rules and regulations" Ittei barked the moment he saw the talented duo.

"Yikes sounds like you have quite the workload now" Sasuke grimaced, following her down the hallways to the shinobi section of the hospital and the wing they'd been assigned to work in once they'd finished their trainee period.

She shrugged lightly "Trust me that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what Shishou wants me to do" Sakura deadpanned vanishing into an empty office in the next moment while he started his own work, she pulled out the list she'd made yesterday and started working on it.

It was only thirty minutes later that Shizune popped into the room "How's it going Sakura-san, I need a report on how much you've done so that we can start implementing some of those things straight away" Shizune smiled kindly and Sakura couldn't help but smile back.

"Not as much as I'd like to have written down, was busy yesterday, what with having my ass kicked by Tsunade-shishou, but I think I have a few things that can be implemented already" the rosette handed over her less than halfway constructed list.

And the older woman took it, ebony orbs flicking over the page quickly and efficiently "New uniforms that aren't skimpy, well you do make a valid point on that one, the nurses uniforms are absolutely appalling" the ravenette giggled in amusement at one of the things written down.

With that the few things that could be changed right away were written down on a separate list and Shizune left her to continue the one she was working on "Oi Sakura I said are you going to come home for lunch with me" three hours later Sasuke poked her on the forehead.

Making the slightly older girl jump and scatter the paperwork in front of her "Give me a break" Sakura sighed bending to scoop everything back into a nice and neat pile, Sasuke helping her because it was his fault.

Before she faced him "I said are you going to come home, our shift is over and I've been waiting for you to notice me for thirty minutes Sakura" the ebony haired preteen crossed his arms over his chest, wondering where the heck her mind had been that entire time.

Usually she was more aware of her surroundings "Sorry Sasuke, was absorbed in the list for new rules and regulations Tsunade-shishou wants me to make for the hospital" the pinkette rubbed her eyes, feeling tired all over again, maybe she'd go out back and train for a little while after lunch.

Sasuke sighed of course she had a ridiculous amount of pressure on her shoulders now, as Tsunade's apprentice Sakura had to do a lot of things for her Mistress "Let's just go okay" Sasuke held out his hand for her to take and once she had he body flickered them home.

"Whoa there is everything okay, Sakura-chan you look tired did you not get enough sleep last night" Shisui who'd been absent a few hours earlier for a mission Tsunade had decided to send him on frowned at the light purple bags under her eyes.

And he wondered if she was having nightmares again "Muscles are sore Shisui-ni and my whole body feels achy" Sakura sniffed, Shisui narrowed his onyx eyes on her then quick as a flash pressed his hand to her forehead only to pull away with a hiss at the heat he felt.

"Kami Sakura-chan if you didn't feel well why didn't you tell anyone, that's it your going back to bed, I'll make lunch, you shoo" the older Uchiha put his hands on his hips after pointing sternly at the stairs for Sakura, who let out a long suffering sigh and vanished up the stairs as ordered.

Sasuke was a little surprised seeing Shisui take responsibility for once as he marched determinedly into the kitchen "Hey Sasuke, get in there and help him or he'll burn all the food" the blonde knucklehead whispered urgently, having seen Shisui try to cook before.

"Roger that knucklehead" Sasuke zipped after his cousin, where the two of them went about cooking a healthy meal for Sakura, who would need it to fight off whatever sickness she'd gotten, probably from practically running herself into the ground he bet.

Then he watched Shisui put everything on a tray and carry it up the stairs "I know your still awake Sakura-chan I brought lunch" he balanced the tray in one hand and knocked with the other on the lone girl's bedroom door, feeling her chakra still active which told him she wasn't asleep.

"Come in Shisui-ni and I'm studying there's nothing wrong with that, I'm sure it's just a cold and I have medicine I can take to help remedy that" Sakura huffed sounding tired to her own ears, it's not like she'd been doing much beyond studying and she wasn't stressed out either.

It had to be something else she was sure of it "Anyway as much as you want to study you have to let your body rest to Sakura-chan, so eat up, take your medicine if you wish, then take a nap alright" Shisui scolded lightly patting her head as he did so as he placed the tray down for her.

For a moment she looked wary "I admit I am a terrible cook, however that doesn't mean I can't cook or make some things Sakura-chan, and Sasuke-chan helped" the Uchiha chuckled realizing what the problem was and decided to alleviate her fears.

That was all it took and soon she was eating a meal that would help boost her immune system against whatever she had, then she took the medicine she had on hand, before curling up under her covers knowing better than to argue with Shisui when he was in that kind of mood.

He waited until he was absolutely certain she was asleep before taking the empty meal tray and leaving Sakura's room "Did she actually go to sleep" Sasuke was dubious knowing Sakura's rebellious nature even if she refused to admit it to anyone.

"Yes she went to sleep Sasuke-chan, ate every last bite to and took some medicine as well" Shisui chuckled lightly depositing the dishes in the sink and doing them up, it was a wonder how Sakura did it day after day without getting tired.

Sasuke let out a sigh of relief as he continued with his studying "Good, Sakura-chan is often known for pushing herself, she won't admit that she's a rebel at heart so we have to keep a careful eye on her so she actually gets some rest" Naruto grinned from ear to ear.

A couple hours later Sakura padded down the steps looking a little better "Feeling okay now Sakura" Sasuke popped up in a flash, pressing his hand to her forehead, little heat, she still had a fever but it had gone down with some rest and good food, plus medicine.

"Just a little better, not as tired but it's boring sitting in my room alone with no one to talk to but Saidai and Surimu, they can't talk back" the rosette quipped, flopping down on a couch and flipping open one of her books to study from a little, not going overboard as she normally did.

Obviously since she knew that she was sick now, she was taking care with what she did "Course those weird pet beetles of yours can't talk back Sakura-chan" the blue eyed blonde sniggered, still wondering why the interest in insects but not even she knew.

"I bet if Sakura could, she would find a way to teach them how to speak, wouldn't that just be weirder" the youngest Uchiha piped in and a shudder rolled down Naruto and Shisui's backs at the freakish thought of insects being able to talk.

While Sakura laughed at their amusing reactions "Please for the love of kami Sakura-chan don't I wouldn't be able to handle it" Shisui shuddered and rubbed his arms again as goosebumps rose on his flesh at the creepy thought Sasuke had just put in his head.

"Don't worry Shisui-ni, Naruto, that sounds like to much work right now, plus I think I would be just a tiny bit weirded out to if Saidai or Surimu suddenly started talking to me to you know" Sakura added putting their fears to rest.

Just then a scroll was placed in her hand "Forgot to give it to you, but it's from that Mizukage lady in Mist" Naruto laughed sheepishly oh so suddenly remembering how it had been delivered yesterday but because Sakura had been tired he hadn't been able to give it to her until now.

Sakura sat up carefully and unrolled the scroll to read the contents within "Well what does it say, did the Mizukage accept the proof of Zabuza's word that he's a changed rogue and just wants to live peacefully in the Land of Waves now" Sasuke prodded.

 _~To Haruno Sakura-san_

 _I don't know how you convinced Zabuza to return Kubikiribocho but thank you, now all that's left is the missing Samehada and Kiba swords, those are our responsibility though so don't bother trying to convince Raiga or Kisame to hand them over._

 _Right since you actually provided valid proof that Zabuza wishes to live a peaceful life, protecting our country from the shadows I will accept the terms of negotiation, so long as you can convince him to perform the binding contract, with myself and two others in attendance._

 _We'll see you in a week Haruno-san, I've already sent a letter to your new Hokage to expect me, just make sure you have everything ready and good luck trying to convince Zabuza to go through with being bound to his word that he won't attack or kill anyone unless necessary._

 _Sincerely Mist's Mizukage Mei Terumi~_

Much longer than the others and Sakura felt excitement fill her "Cool so how exactly are you going to get Zabuza to agree to that" Naruto piped in glad that another task Sakura had taken on was coming to an end after two weeks of correspondence.

"You know I think at this point Zabuza would be willing to do anything to avoid being executed by his old country" Shisui deadpanned, still wondering how the man even decided he could trust Sakura to smooth things over with his old country for him.

"Agreed, though he's sure to miss his sword, that was probably a necessary sacrifice I guess" Sasuke grimaced, if it was a favorite weapon of his, he wouldn't have been able to give it up without great consideration and extreme reluctance.

This earned a small smile from Sakura, who flashed through a set of hand signs "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" she slapped her hand gently on the table, eyes narrowed in concentration only to have Mibojin come out of the smoke again.

With a sigh she sent him off to summon Zabuza to her house again "Please tell me you don't want me to give up another thing for that damn woman" Zabuza growled clearly peeved about the loss of Kubikiribocho and Sakura held up her hands.

"Cool it Zabuza-san, she's accepted that your serious about this, there's just one thing she wants, by the use of fuinjutsu you'll be bound to your word never able to break it are you willing to go through with a binding contract like that" Sakura put a hand on her hip.

Zabuza seemed to deliberate for a moment before finally nodding "Fine we can do it right now even" the rogue grumbled so long as it got Hidden Mist off his case and he could go back to the little Land of Waves to see his apprentice again he would do anything.

"Not so fast Zabuza-san, Mizukage-sama will be here in six days or less depending on when she leaves the village, then we'll perform the contract in front of her understand" the pinkette announced bluntly ready to go back to bed at that point.

He growled under his breath but nodded "Got it brat, I'm leaving now" Zabuza snapped jumping to his feet and vanishing from the girl's house, while she curled up on the couch under a throw blanket and went back to sleep utterly exhausted.

By the time she was woke up for dinner, her fever was gone and so was the achy feeling she had in her body, maybe she had been working herself to hard lately somehow, good thing she had the next day off to do whatever she wanted, like maybe visit Shino.

Unfortunately what the next day brought was not good on her way over to the Aburame Compound a crow swooped down and landed on her shoulder "Hello there Mister Crow what are you doing here" Sakura greeted scratching the feathery creature on it's head.

Then he dropped a scroll in her hand and took off through the sky "Hmm that was weird, wait a second crow….Itachi" the rosette frowned at first before realization hit her, that was one of Itachi's summons and he'd sent her a message, that she hastily unrolled.

 _~Sakura-san_

 _Beware the leader of Akatsuki has ordered your abduction for reason's unknown, make sure you don't leave the village, I have sent a similar message to Sandaime-sama to inform the new Hokage of my role as double agent._

 _IU~_

The only reason she knew it was Itachi was his particular handwriting, plus the initials IU were a dead giveaway as well that the sender was Itachi Uchiha and the way he addressed her politely in the letter, there was no mistaking his politeness even in a letter it seemed.

Sakura spun on her heel and charged in the direction of the Hokage Tower, this was more important than visiting Shino, about halfway there she realized that she could body flickered and did that until she reached her new destination.

"I've already been informed Sakura and the village will go on high alert, no more outside the village missions for you until we get this settled, perhaps a negotiation with the Leader, can you get in touch with Itachi" Tsunade's expression was grim when she appeared in her office.

Out of breath and pale as a ghost "I don't know Tsunade-shishou, Shisui-ni might be able to though they have the same type of summons, seeing a crow wouldn't be suspicious" she rubbed her hands together nervously, afraid, why would that organization leader want to abduct her.

"Anbu I want Shisui Uchiha in my office right now" the honey eyed woman barked, tapping a nail in a maddening way on her desk until Shisui was stood in the office with them, followed by Tsunade sealing the room and soundproofing it.

"What's going on Tsunade-sama, why do you both look so pale, nothing's happened right" Shisui felt his stomach clench uncomfortably, never had he seen such worried expressions and that kind of look certainly didn't look good on Sakura in the least.

Tsunade blew out a breath "A threat has been made against Sakura, I was just informed that Itachi is a double agent and it appears the Leader of Akatsuki wishes for him to abduct her for reasons unknown, he also wants Danzo as well" Tsunade admitted.

Shisui felt his heart stop for half a second in fear "But what on earth could they want with Sakura-chan or Danzo, I know he's a bastard and whatnot" the Uchiha tightened his hands into fists worried that things would get out of hand and he'd lose Sakura again.

"No idea, but your the only one we can depend upon to find out Shisui-ni, you have crow summons just like Itachi-san, you can send a crow after placing a timed-genjutsu on it once it makes contact with Itachi, to get more details of what's going on" Sakura cleared her throat.

Proving why she had a sharp mind in that moment and why she was one of the ones to become Chunin as well "Kami Sakura-chan why are you so weird" Shisui sighed, she'd been born that way he had to remind himself as he summoned one of his crows.

And Sakura immediately placed a timed-genjutsu over the summons, that would only activate when it came in contact with Itachi, it was subtle enough that even S Class criminals wouldn't notice it hopefully and then the crow was sent off to complete it's duties.

With that the two of them went home, to sit around and wait for a message from Itachi hopefully so long as the genjutsu did it's duty and he was able to send one back anyway, it was hard waiting actually and trying to act normal.

~Miles away~

Itachi noticed not one but two crows returning to him and creased his brow in confusion before returning to a rather blank expression no indentations in his forehead to indicate the inner turmoil he was suddenly going through as he realized who's crow that was.

Giving proof to the rumor the Leader had mentioned about how Shisui Uchiha was still alive and had been all this time "Thought you only sent one crow" Kisame immediately noticed the extra crow that his partner hadn't sent and wondered about it.

"For extra reconnaissance of Hidden Leaf, I sent it a little while after the first" Itachi stated simply, lying through his teeth, thanking the kami that Kisame didn't pick up on the lie with his sensitive nose so long as he didn't outwardly or inwardly show any sort of emotion he was fine.

The first crow disappeared in a plume of smoke, while the second landed on his arm, where he felt a pulse of chakra and Kisame's eyes grew distant, he even began talking to the air right next to him, Itachi smirked knowing who's handiwork the genjutsu was.

Quickly he pulled out a scroll and wrote hastily not knowing how long the genjutsu would last against Kisame, then once finished he tied the scroll and sent it off with his best friend's summons, who took off from his arm just as the illusion ended.

So it only worked while in contact with him "Like I was saying Itachi-kun I think sneaking into the village again is a dangerous idea and you know that bratty little pink haired girl isn't going to come quietly with us" the blue skinned shark like man ranted.

Wondering why he was so against this in the first place Itachi turned to his partner and asked "Usually you'd be the first one to agree to this mission, so why are you so against it" the raven haired seventeen year old questioned with a slight frown on his face.

Kisame fell silent at that "You think I'm stupid don't you Itachi-kun, heh I've know for awhile that you've been a double agent, sending information about the organization to Hidden Leaf" Kisame smirked in the next moment, massive arms crossed over his chest.

Dread filled him at those words "Why haven't you reported me then to Leader-sama" Itachi narrowed his onyx eyes on his partner, suspicion and fear warring within, Kisame could smell it as well and he threw his head back with a laugh.

"It's admirable you know that you have such dedication to your village Itachi-kun, if I thought for a moment Mist would take me back, I'd go in a heartbeat, but you, you have a chance to escape Akatsuki's clutches and go home where you belong" the blue haired rogue admitted.

Ebony orbs wide in shock for the first time Kisame had ever seen Itachi stared at him like he'd never been seen before "Maybe you have a chance to Kisame, you just don't know it yet, you could even come with me to Leaf" the raven haired teen added carefully.

On the lookout for any eavesdroppers "Nah I'm good Itachi-kun, also the reason Leader wants Pinky is to ask her some questions, I don't think he wants to keep her, to loyal to her village, as for Danzo, apparently he had an old friend of Leader's killed and he wants revenge" Kisame said.

There was that shock again "Kisame I won't be able to thank you enough, but I'm not free yet, the ring is fused to us remember" Itachi sighed, dubiously summoning another crow and writing a second message to send off to Leaf's newly dubbed Hokage.

~Back in Leaf~

It had now been over five hours since a message had been sent, no one knew where Akatsuki based themselves after all so they didn't know when they'd get a return message, that was until a tap, tap, tap sounded on the window.

All eyes turned to spy a crow "That's definitely yours Shisui-ni, so that means the genjutsu worked and he was able to send back a message to us" Sakura let out a sigh of relief glad that her idea of a timed-genjutsu had worked, even if it was for a little while.

"Here Sakura-chan you read it I can't, not after what I did to Itachi-chan" Shisui held out the scroll that had been sent with a message to Sakura, she took it with careful hands, unrolling the scroll to read the contents within.

 _~Sakura-san_

 _Clever move with the genjutsu, it worked on my partner, the only one who was with me at the time I received your message, negotiating is risky but it might work, and again I have no idea why the Leader would want to abduct you._

 _Just be careful alright Sakura-san, most likely Shisui-san made you read this message and tell him I'm not angry, with that I have to go or Kisame will likely become suspicious and break the genjutsu on him._

 _IU~_

Just as she finished reading an anbu appeared "Hokage-sama summons you two to her office" he said then was gone, leaving Shisui and Sakura to stand and body flicker to the Hokage Tower for the second time that day.

"So apparently Hoshigaki Kisame knows Itachi is a double agent, has known for awhile and has done nothing to oust him as one to Akatsuki's leader, who wants to ask you some questions, at least that's what Kisame told Itachi" Tsunade explained.

"That must have come literally minutes after we got this one and how can we trust Hoshigaki to tell the truth, what if the guy tries to force Sakura-chan into the organization or even kills her" Shisui scowled not liking the turn of events.

While Sakura stood back a contemplative gleam in her emerald eyes going back to that first day of the B Rank Mission "I think we can trust him, I remember something he said all the way back when on the mission" Sakura pointed out with a wince as Shisui glared at her.

Until she got tired of it "Shisui-ni trust my judgement alright, Kisame could have killed me if he wanted to, but he didn't, all he did was threaten and he even allowed me to escape" the rosette snapped growing irritated with his lack of faith in her on certain things.

Shisui reeled back "I..I just don't want to loose you Sakura-chan, I lost four years with you and what happens if he's just playing with Itachi-chan and you both end up dead at Akatsuki's hands" the Uchiha let his shoulders droop looking lost and torn on what to do anymore.

Her eyes softened "Believe in us alright, we'll come out okay, because Shinobi endure remember" Sakura soothed letting her chakra seep into him and relax the tension and fear gnawing away at his heart until he was able to straighten up his act.

"Now if your done squabbling like a child Shisui, here's what we're going to do, in exactly five days we'll set Danzo loose into the forest and let them capture him, at the same time I'll have a team of Jonin to capture Itachi and bring him in" Tsunade announced.

Formulating a plan "And so we just let them capture Sakura-chan" Shisui grit his teeth, if only he hadn't burdened Itachi then none of this would be happening at all, if he'd managed to take out Danzo, things wouldn't be going so wrong in the world.

Tsunade pressed her lips into a thin line "We'll do it on our terms and so help me if they don't bring her back we'll storm Akatsuki Headquarters to get her back" the honey eyed woman declared, slamming her hand on her desk which broke it in two.

Making Sakura jump and latch onto Shisui in sudden fright "Okay Shishou we're going home now, come on Shisui-ni" the pinkette gripped his sleeve tightly then in a swirl of cherry blossoms the both of them were gone and Tsunade sighed itching to drink but there was a lot of things to do.

"Don't understand how you can just be so calm Sakura-chan" the twenty year old grumbled unhappily as he plopped gracelessly down on the couch and she started studying furiously because she didn't know how long this whole thing would take to end.

Sasuke and Naruto were curious but they didn't ask for fear of being snapped at, Sakura was not acting like her usual self this time, expression grim and eyes determined, whatever it was, wasn't good and they weren't going to interfere no matter how much they wanted to.

"Apologies for intruding, I thought I'd come visit" Shino decided to appear in a cluster of kikaichu at probably the worst possible moment in history and notice the grim expressions of everyone present in the Haruno house.

He also immediately thought the worst "Please don't tell me something has happened to your parents Sakura, why because you look as if someone has died" the Aburame heir frowned deeply in concern, Sakura hesitantly lowered her book.

Turmoil rolling through her that he could plainly see in her eyes "Their fine at least I hope so" Sakura grimaced, now going to be paranoid over whether or not her parents were okay, this whole thing was going to drive her absolutely insane it seemed.

In the next moment she summoned Katsuyu, for only the second time and sent the slug off to check up on her parents when Katsuyu came back it was with confirmation that her parents were fine still living it up in Kumogakure selling their wares down in the market of the village.

"If it's not about your parents then why, what could cause that look" Shino frowned deeper yet worried about Sakura who refused to say another thing, "Is it because I'm still a genin, is that why I can't know" he questioned.

"Even if you were a Chunin I doubt I'd be able to say anything, the less people that know the better" Sakura murmured dragging him down onto the couch with her while Naruto and Sasuke felt dread pool in their guts, whatever was going on was serious.

Shino sighed and stopped asking question "So long as you don't get hurt, why because I hate the thought of you in danger" the brunet heir glared harshly at the table and the tension dissipated some for her shoulders followed by a fond smile.

With that silence blanketed the living room, Shino staying clear up to dinner, reluctant to leave which was understandable something was going to happen that he had no idea about but eventually he did go home.

Then three days later the Hidden Leaf Village got the expected visit of the newly inaugurated Mizukage "Ready to do this binding seal thing brat" Zabuza growled as he found her waiting outside of her house, carrying a bunch of things that he didn't understand.

"Of course, we're meeting Mizukage-sama at the Hokage Tower, where Tsunade-shishou will allow us a room to perform what we need" Sakura nodded pushing everything else out of mind and heart and focusing on this one thing for now.

Decided they started down the streets to the Hokage Tower just like planned "Well your not who I was expecting" a long auburn haired woman with mint green eyes commented the moment the two of them arrived in the Hokage's Office.

Sakura forced a smile on her lips "Indeed aren't you a little young, I would go so far as to say your twelve" a blue haired eyepatch wearing man grouched out clearly unhappy that they were even there and that the Mizukage had even agreed to this at all.

"Thirteen actually Sir…right we'll be using a room across the hall, please follow me Mizukage-sama, Zabuza" the fuscia haired teen turned firmly on her heel, though the woman's escorts also followed her into a room across the hall.

Where she immediately began drawing a myriad of seals all over the floor, mixing her blood into the ink even "Very interesting" the Mizukage mused wondering who taught the girl fuinjutsu, it was a dying art after all and not many would get into the complicated subject of sealing jutsu.

"Zabuza-san you'll need to take your shirt off so that I can draw the seals on you as well and sit here in the middle of the room please" Sakura instructed, scanning what she'd already drawn, Zabuza curled his lip in frustration but did as told.

Quickly removing his shirt when he saw her impatience an sitting down "Just who the hell taught you that" the rude Mist Ninja from before gaped when the seal started glowing the minute the rogue sat down, a blood red it was kind of eerie if he was being honest.

Peridot orbs shifted for a fraction of a second in his direction "Myself Sir, no one necessarily taught me, I've just been practicing fuinjutsu for a long time and to warn you Zabuza, you might pass out, try to hang on as long as you can alright" she worried her lip.

Knowing this wasn't going to be an easy ritual "I'll be fine brat just do what you need" Zabuza grunted not liking how the brat looked so tired suddenly, Sakura took a deep breath before nodding erasing some of his doubt about if she'd be able to do it.

Then dipped her brush into some chakra/blood ink and began drawing the seals onto his bare flesh connecting them to the one he was sitting on in a freaky way, the door opened and shut but she didn't dare look up or break concentration.

Completely focused, he guessed she hadn't been promoted to Chunin for nothing after all, managing to negotiate his freedom, come up with a plan to bind him to his word and many other things he'd noticed in the almost three weeks he'd been in Leaf.

Sakura blew out a breath as sweat dripped from her forehead grabbing the prepared bag of blood Zabuza had given her, "Now for the binding ritual, Zabuza Momochi do you swear to live in the Land of Waves peacefully, acting as protection to the small village from now on until you die" Sakura questioned seriously.

Emerald orbs burning with fire a chill swept over him and he knew to answer "Yes, I'm turning over a new leaf, the Land of Waves is under my protection from now on until I die" Zabuza nodded making the first vow.

Followed by the brush on his skin again, "Do you swear to only kill when necessary, when your life or any one in the village's life is in danger" Sakura prodded next, waiting until the affirmative answer from the rogue.

"I swear it, no more unnecessary deaths, unless my life or anyone in that small village's life is in danger" Zabuza vowed yet again, wondering why this was part of the ritual anyway but not daring to ask for fear of breaking her absolute concentration.

Another touch of the brush and this time he felt a stinging sensation "On the orders of the Mizukage Mei Terumi do you swear to protect your village from the shadows, to not be seen or heard from by any other member from your village except the three here" Sakura pressed.

Knowing by now he must be feeling some of the pain that came with the ritual "Yes I vow only on the orders of Lady Mizukage will I protect Hidden Mist from the shadows to not be seen or heard by any other member except for those here" Zabuza nodded.

Gritting his teeth as the stinging sensation evolved into a burning pain that was crawling through his veins slowly, growing stronger with each passing second until it felt like he was going to pass out, no wonder the brat had warned him and asked him to hang on as long as he could.

This shit was painful as hell "Lastly do you swear to never break your word or be subjected to pain from doing so until the time you die" Sakura narrowed her eyes, wondering if he would agree to the final vow.

"I, Zabuza Momochi swear to never break my word in this here binding ritual, or be subjected to pain from doing so until the time I die" Zabuza forced out, tasting blood from how tightly he was clenching his teeth as the pain intensified.

Next was the last brush of a brush on his back, then Sakura began going through a set of hand signs "Then let it be known Zabuza Momochi is bound to his word, Ninja Art: Binding Seal Jutsu" she finished and placed her hands on his back.

Where she'd drawn the seal that would bind him to his word, bright red glowing seals rushed towards it and Zabuza bit his cheek harshly so he wouldn't pass out, who knows what would happen if he did, the seal could end up killing him.

And two minutes later it was all over, unable to help himself now Zabuza fell forward completely passed out from the amount of pain he was just subjected to, Sakura slumped to the floor herself, just glad that the ritual was over.

"Let's get you home okay Sakura-chan" the person who'd entered the room while she was working on drawing the seals spoke up revealing himself as Shisui and she glared tiredly at him because she'd told him specifically not to get involved.

One of the Mist Shinobi though snapped his head in Shisui's direction, steely blue eyes wide in shock and surprise "Yeah I'm alive and sorry Sakura-chan I couldn't help it okay, I know your good but that was a tough one even for you" Shisui grumbled.

Shuffling forward and scooping to girl up "Put me down Shisui I can walk just fine thank you very much" Sakura narrowed her eyes and was promptly set on her feet "Though you can carry Zabuza-san back to Kakashi-sensei's apartment" she suggested.

"Fine, fine such a demanding kid aren't you" the Uchiha sighed, tossing Zabuza over his shoulder gently and body flickering off while Sakura led the way back to Tsunade's office which was literally across the hall to make the report on the ritual.

"It was a success, Zabuza is successfully bound to his word Shishou, I'm sure the minute he's rested up he'll be out of here" the rosette snorted a smile on her lips, no one would admit it but they were actually growing fond of the gruffy rogue.

Tsunade seemed to know what she was thinking and a smile broke out on her lips "Good now go home and get some rest brat, be ready for two days from now" Tsunade ordered wondering if the girl would turn out alright in the end after this ordeal was over and she was hopefully back.

"Excuse me for a moment I'd actually like to talk with you about some things Lady Tsunade, with Sakura-san in the office" Mei piped in when Sakura turned on her heel and headed for the door, probably ready to get home and go to bed due to the light purple bags under her eyes.

"Alright and just what is it you wish to talk about with my apprentice in the room" Tsunade narrowed her eyes suspiciously, sue her she cared for the girl, Sakura didn't deserve half the crap she's been through and yet now she couldn't even go home and get some rest.

Mint green eyes narrowed as well "I'd actually like to borrow Sakura-san for my hospital if that's alright, have her travel with us when we leave today and depending on her work I'll consider a treaty between us" the auburn haired woman admitted seriously.

"Unfortunately as much as I like the idea of a treaty between Leaf and Mist, Sakura has a mission of most importance to go on two days from now and can't be distracted" the honey eyed blonde sighed wishing that the Akatsuki Leader would lose interest otherwise she'd be perfectly happy to send the girl off to Mist to get them a treaty.

By the looks of things Mei was severely disappointed "What your saying then is that Mizukage-sama is a distraction for the girl and not worth your time" the blue haired man growled angry that they were possibly being brushed to the side.

Tsunade stood "Shishou…Sir that's not what Hokage-sama is saying at all and not what she meant either, she would love to have a treaty but the mission that I'm going on is delicate and I'm the only one that she can count on to complete it" Sakura stepped in.

Not wanting to see the man be punched through the wall, ceiling or window by her easily angered Shishou, Tsunade lowered herself into her chair, worry in her honeyed gaze "Basically you don't know if you'll make it back from this mission alive and don't want to make any promises" Mei summed up the conversation.

"Precisely Mizukage-sama, Sir, if I don't, please consider sending Sasuke, Tsunade-shishou, he's nearly as good as me, he'd be perfect, his first mission as a Chunin" Sakura's whole countenance brightened the moment she started talking about Sasuke.

"Go on brat get some rest alright, you need it" Tsunade ushered the girl off, proud that she was remaining strong in the face of possible death, they didn't know anything about the Akatsuki Leader, his abilities nothing after all.

And a couple hours later the Mizukage and her escorts left the Hidden Leaf Village, that night Sasuke crept from his room and halfway down the hall to knock on her bedroom door "Psst Sakura it's me are you awake" he whispered through the door.

Sakura rolled her eyes at his attempt at being discrete "Come in Sasuke, by the way your not very good at being sneaky I could feel you coming, your chakra is like a storm right now" she snorted lightly admitting him into her room.

It was pitch black in there and he could barely make her out on her bed in the dark as he crept forward nearly stumbling over some things until he was sat at her side "I don't know what's been going on with you for the last several days" Sasuke began.

"But I want you to promise me that you'll be careful, even if you can't tell me and that you'll come back alright" the ebony haired preteen frowned deeply fearful of what the future would bring, would it take Sakura away, he hoped not anyway.

Her features softened and then she was patting his hand in that reassuring way she use to but hadn't for a long, long time because he hadn't needed it "As much as I want to promise Sasuke, I don't want to lie to you either, what's going to happen is dangerous" Sakura grimaced.

"More dangerous than anything we've ever done together, I don't know what's going to happen or if I'll be able to come back, no I'm not telling you either because I don't want anyone else involved" the rosette shook her head at his inquisitive look.

And he slumped against her pillows "Fine but I'll hope alright and I'll take care of Dope, just promise me you'll fight to come back no matter what you have to do" Sasuke grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That I can do because you know I'm a fighter Sasuke, I have a lot of things to prove" Sakura pat his hand one last time then snuggled down in her blankets, Sasuke watched until her breathing evened out before leaving her room, going back to his to sleep.

Before they knew it, it was the day of Danzo's execution "We've decided to hold a hunting style execution, Danzo has a chance to run for his life, while Anbu tail him, should he be captured that's it game over and he'll be beheaded before all" Tsunade addressed the congregation.

Village Elders, Jonin with a few Chunin in the crowd were a little confused at the strange plan "If your going to let me run at least unseal my chakra and give me a weapon" Danzo snarled, missing an eye now that Shisui had ripped out his old one from the man's eye socket.

"Afraid not Danzo, that is against the rules of the game and the people before you wish to have a chance to get at you so to speak" the honey eyed blonde woman smirked, lying through her teeth actually when she knew what was going to happen, the only ones who didn't know were the other elders of the village.

The Jonin knew the plan as well, capture Itachi in trade of Sakura being captured it wasn't a very fair deal to be honest, but in order to find out what Akatsuki wanted, it was a necessary sacrifice even if it went against all their morals since they were actually fond of the girl.

In the next moment Danzo was loosed into the forest, running away as if his life depended on it, it really did actually "Sakura-chan take this if anyone can use it, it's you" Kakashi stopped her from speeding after Danzo to do her part in the plan.

Keep him from disappearing on them or dying to soon "Kakashi-sensei what is it" she frowned lightly but took the kunai with odd seals written on them, until she recognized them as the teleportation seal that had been used by the Fourth Hokage "Hiraishin" Sakura murmured.

"I always knew you were a smart kid Sakura-chan, just push your chakra into it when he's done questioning you and it will bring you straight home to us" the silver haired Jonin explained, pleased that she understood without him having to take the time to explain fully.

She nodded "Right thanks Kakashi-sensei I promise" the rosette nodded and looped some rope through the hole of the kunai to tuck under her kimono collar, directly touching her skin it would be all to easy to channel chakra into it and be returned home as nothing more than a sigh of wind.

Then Sakura spun on her heel and body flickered after Danzo's retreating chakra, starting the game of cat and mouse with him and herself, that is if Itachi was in place as agreed up with further correspondence and the two who'd been sent with him to acquire Danzo and her.

Just as she was beginning to think this whole thing was a hoax to scare her, she felt a subtle flare of familiar chakra to the west of her, Itachi really was there then and she wasn't the only one who felt it as she felt Shisui, Kakashi, Asuma, Shibi, Shikaku, Gai and Inoichi's chakra head towards him.

Right as two others made their move to capture Danzo, Sakura made her way in that direction as well, arriving on scene five minutes later to witness Itachi being surrounded, Kisame noticeably absent along with the unknown chakra she'd felt a little while ago.

"Damn to think they would bring out all their best Jonin to capture Itachi-kun" Kisame whistled and she suppressed her chakra instinctively to avoid being found for now, he was clearly playing along just as she expected he would, why else would he not tell his leader about Itachi's double agent status in the organization.

"Tch shut up Kisame, we're supposed to be looking for the girl, Uchiha told us that she would be a main contender to get revenge on the old bastard" a voice growled from off to her right, followed by Danzo grunting as he was dropped on his face.

It seemed to be her cue as she came from the shadows eyes glinting with fury "Your right I do want to get a few hits on him for what he did to the Uchiha Clan" Sakura glared down at Danzo, who stared up at her with a pleading look on his face.

Unfortunately she had no sympathy for him "Phew you're a firecracker aren't you Pinky-chan, here I thought you would have quit being a ninja by now after being put in Itachi-kun's Tsukuyomi, but here you are still lively and fighting for your country" Kisame chuckled.

Appearing behind her and brandishing Samehada in her face daring her to make a break for it, she was tempted to run but as soon as she had the thought she lost all control of her limbs "What do you think brat, can't move can you" the unknown man sounded so proud.

But she bet if she channeled a little chakra to those chakra strings of his she'd be able to get away "Nifty, might have to learn that sometime" the fuscia haired teen commented keeping calm and from across the clearing Itachi's gaze met hers.

Full of sorrow and begging for her forgiveness then she was heaved underneath Kisame's arm while Danzo was thrown over the massive man's opposite shoulder, then they were gone, jumping from tree to tree at a break-neck speed leaving behind the Leaf Village.

Hours late she was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground "Sasori tie them up to a tree, I don't want Pinky-chan getting it in her head to try and escape" the blue haired rogue ordered as he vanished into the bushes probably to hunt for food.

Sasori rolled his eyes and went to do as commanded, "Uh-uh your not tying me to the same tree as him" the brat shook her head when he went to do just that, at least she wasn't yelling and screaming for them to release her, Danzo grit his teeth.

"Girl I know your Tsunade's apprentice, if you help me to escape I'll give you anything" Danzo tried to plead with her again, gain sympathy and Sasori scowled, itching to shut the man up by knocking him out or knocking a couple of teeth down his throat.

Imagine his surprise when the girl turned her head firmly away from him "Like hell I'd ever help you bastard after what you did to Sasuke's family and clan you should be ashamed of yourself" Sakura snapped quietly, not faking her anger of this man.

"I did it for the village you stupid girl, everything I did was for the village" the former elder snarled angrily hardly able to believe the girl was being so stubborn especially when she'd been captured for unknown reasons to.

Furious emerald orbs met his one ebony eye "No Danzo, what you did was poison people against the Uchiha because they refused to bow to you, you had them treated like criminals for a crime they didn't commit and you know what I'm going to enjoy watching you die" the rosette stated.

Turning her head away again and closing her eyes fighting off the exhaustion she felt from lack of sleep the last several days "Very interesting little brat aren't you, I can see why Leader-sama would be interested in asking questions of you" the redhead commented suddenly.

Stalking forward and jerking her head up with his hand to meet his hazel colored gaze with her viridian colored gaze "Well I don't know if I'm all that interesting but I hope I'm not kept like a prisoner for to long, I have a test to study for" Sakura shrugged nonchalantly.

He threw his head back with a laugh at that, tossing his wild locks about "What are you doing Akasuna no fraternizing will little pink haired brats" Kisame returned in the nick of time a deer thrown over his shoulder stripped of it's skin.

Where he went about making a fire, then spearing strips of venison on sticks to cook "Suppose we have to feed you don't we" Sasori sighed when a stick was held out to him for the girl, and he held it out to her before remembering he'd tied her hands down.

There lied the predicament until he thought of an excellent idea, feeding her by hand essentially until the stick was clean, followed by another and another until she rejected anymore, he even graciously allowed her some water.

"Your forgetting me or do I not deserve a meal" Danzo growled furious that he wasn't being fed and the brat that was Tsunade's newest apprentice was being treated better than he was, it made him absolutely seething with rage.

Kisame glanced over his shoulder "No, Leader-sama specifically requested we treat Pinky-chan with the utmost gentleness, he said nothing about you however so again no" the blue skinned, shark-like rogue snorted harshly.

And Sakura bit down on her lip to keep from laughing "I do have a name you know Hoshigaki, it's Sakura, do try to remember it for future reference, cause I don't enjoy being called Pinky-chan" the pinkette huffed distracting herself from the urge to laugh.

"Be careful brat, Kisame has a temper sometimes and doesn't like reigning in his bloodlust, you could be his next victim" the redhead warned seeing the amusement before it faded as she closed her eyes, she let her shoulders droop.

Next thing he knew her breathing had evened out, that was probably for the best anyway as he went over and knocked Danzo out as well, then they set up camp and kept watch in turns until the sun crested over the land and they were on their way to their base again.


	30. Of Questioning, Seals, Insects & Chaos

After three days of travel Sakura didn't know where she was anymore, since Sasori had blindfolded her the day before "Almost there Pinky-chan, then I'm sure you'll be on your way home" Kisame grunted as he took to water-walking.

Not wanting to get the girl's hopes up, but it was definitely a possibility Pein would release her once his interrogation of her was over if not he was going to have to find a way to get her out of there himself, he'd promised Itachi after all.

"I sure hope so Hoshigaki cause I hate being carried around like a sack of freaking potatoes" Sakura scoffed irritable, not once had she been allowed to walk on her own two feet during the time they'd been travelling to who knows where and she was quite fed up with it.

Kisame snorted at that, reigning in the urge to laugh "Let me take over carrying the girl, we've got incoming" Sasori said suddenly drawing his attention to the fast approaching hunter-nin, they must have been following them for an unknown amount of time.

Sakura cringed as she was roughly thrown at the other rogue and tossed harshly onto the man's shoulder, her ribs ramming painfully into his pointy shoulder at the same time and knocking the wind right out of her "Oomph that hurt" the rosette winced.

Wishing she could heal the bruise that was no doubt forming from the sudden rough treatment "Shut up brat or do you want to die" the redhead snapped impatiently as Kisame with a still unconscious Danzo over his shoulder took out the Hunter Nin on their tail.

"Don't be rough with her Akasuna, you know Leader-sama doesn't want a single scratch or bruise on her" the shark like rogue reminded, eyeing her slightly pained grimace from her current position on Sasori's shoulder.

His brow twitched in irritation "We don't have time to stop and check if the stupid brat bruised when she was thrown right now, we have to get to the village" Sasori grumbled pissed off now and Sakura wisely kept silent, not making little jabs like she did at Kisame.

"Finally and soon this bullshit will all be over with" Kisame sighed as they reached the gates of the Hidden Rain Village, hopefully the brat had been blindfolded good otherwise if Pein found out she knew the way to where they were stationed he'd kill her for sure.

Unlike how she'd been for the past three days she was eerily silent now, and in a matter of seconds the four of them were soaked through from the never-ending rain as they trekked through the village after signing in since Pein was the leader of the village and gave them refuge.

Then they were walking through the halls of the Akatsuki base "Kisame, Sasori well done on your mission, where is Itachi" another unfamiliar voice echoed in her ears when they finally came to a stop inside of a huge building.

"Good news ends there Leader, Itachi was captured by his old village, it was an ambush, we got the old man and pinky though" the blue skinned rogue tossed down his quarry but Danzo didn't so much as stir from his unconsciousness.

Pein nodded as if he'd expected something like that to happen "Here's the brat are we dismissed" his redheaded subordinate carefully set his own quarry down on her feet, brown eyes narrowed and ready to stop her from trying to run.

But to his surprise she didn't move a muscle "Dismissed, go ahead and remove the blindfold girl, you may call me Leader for now" Pein ordered when the duo were gone, he was disappointed that one of his subordinates had been captured, but he supposed it was a fair trade to get Danzo.

And Sakura Haruno, who slowly lifted her hands and untied the cloth covering her eyes "Okay then Leader-san why did you want me kidnapped" Sakura took a deep breath, steeling her nerves as she did so and asked the first question.

"Respectful even to rogue's exactly how Kisame described you, I didn't believe it until you spoke to me just now, and as for the reason I had you captured, its because I want some questions answered, answer them and I'll let you go home" the orange haired man explained.

She did a double take at that, orange hair, it was weirder than pink hair if she did say so herself "Right I guess I can answer a few questions, but passwords into my village are off-limits and I'm not telling you anything about Naruto" the pink haired thirteen year old warned.

He let out a laugh at that "Heard a rumor will you confirm or deny it for me, that you and Itachi's younger brother were the ones to oust Danzo as a traitor as mere genin, just two days graduated genin in fact" Pein pressed launching into his first round of questioning the girl.

Who took another deep breath then nodded "It's true, we'd only been genin for two days, when we decided to break into his office and steal important documents for proof of his criminal nature" Sakura relented to the question and answered truthfully.

Just glad that he wasn't asking her to answer any questions that would potentially betray her village and country, she was to loyal and would rather die if that was the case "May I ask how, I'm sure Shimura is dying to know himself" the orange haired rogue questioned again.

Noting that the former elder was coming round after being unconscious for the last several days, though he went rigid at the sight of the orange haired rogue "You, but I had you killed a long time ago, you pathetic orphans didn't deserve being trained by Jiraiya" Danzo freaked out, fearful that the dead were coming back to life.

First Shisui, now him it was all to much to take "Fuinjutsu, that's how we did it Leader-san, we made tags that suppressed our chakra, scent and footsteps, set off a genjutsu and snuck into his office and made off with all the incriminating evidence needed to get him executed" the rosette cleared her throat.

Drawing not just Pein's attention but Danzo's as well "You little bitch, I'll kill you, once I get out of here…" the former elder promptly shut up at the feel of monstrous killing intent from someone he'd thought long dead.

"Continuing on, why did you feel the need you had to break into his office, by all means you were a genin fresh out of the academy, what prompted such anger from you towards him with no real reason to target him" Pein inquired.

This probably being the most important question he would ask "By now you probably know about Shisui Uchiha being alive, well when I was younger we were close, then two days before the graduation exams, I received a letter from him, that gave me suspicions" Sakura answered.

"Suspicions that gave me the desire to find the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, the reason why they attempted a coup against the village was because of him, he poisoned everyone against the Uchiha just so he could swoop in and attempt his own coup" she glared furiously at Danzo.

Who was shocked into silence "That's not all he's done, he interfered with a treaty we had with Hidden Stone, the wars we had since then are because of him as well, let's not forget brain-washing children to be mindless killers and planning to kill Lord Third is just the tip of the iceberg for what he's done" she finished.

Reigning in her anger fast before she did something stupid that got her killed, right now she was safe, but she still had be to be extremely careful "Tell me child what else has he done to warrant such anger from you" the orange haired man inquired.

Looking amused for the time being because he hadn't thought someone else could hate Danzo just as much as he could but here she was in living flesh "Plotting against the village with Orochimaru is the worst offense and attempting to kill Naruto is absolutely unforgivable" the rosette stated flatly.

By that point Danzo was pale, looking worse for wear as he realized that he wasn't going to come out of this alive "Girl don't let him kill me please, I'm sorry I thought I was doing what was best for the village I can see that I'm wrong now" he tried one last time to plead for help.

But she turned her head away from him firmly and resolutely "Don't even think about it bastard, after everything you've done, you don't deserve an ounce of pity or sympathy, your getting your just desserts" the pinkette shook her head not wanting to look at him anymore.

The leader of the feared Akatsuki Organization snorted in disgust at Danzo's pathetic attempts of trying to save his life "Would you like the honor of witnessing his demise" Pein offered to the girl thinking she deserved it after all if not for her, he wouldn't be able to finally get his own revenge.

It looked like she was torn on the matter all of a sudden "I thought you said you would enjoy watching me die, are you pitying me you stupid girl" Danzo spat frustrated and angry that this was happening to him in the first place.

"Never in a million years would I pity you Danzo and as much as I want to see you die, I don't want to witness anymore deaths I merely wish to go home now" Sakura sighed allowing her exhaustion to shine through her tough facade.

Pein nodded and pulsed chakra into the ring on his finger, then Kisame was stood in his office again "Take the girl back to her village Kisame, she has served her purpose" the orange haired man ordered the massive shark like rogue.

Who shrugged "Up you go Pinky-chan, and put that damn blindfold back on" Kisame grumbled heaving the girl up under his arm again once she was wearing the blindfold again, then he saluted at his Leader and was gone in a rush of water, his signature for body-flickering.

Getting soaked was never fun as they trudged through the village and out the gates "Can you give me a hint Kisame, Tsunade-shishou is gonna ask and I want to be able to at least tell her something of consequence" the pinkette pouted up at him.

He snorted "The village that always cries that's all I'm telling you Pinky, also I want you to give my regards to Itachi-kun, I hope he finds peace now that he's back in his village and free of Akatsuki's clutches partially anyway" the blue haired rogue rolled his eyes.

And turned serious in the next moment "Don't worry Kisame, we'll find a way to remove that ring from his finger without having to cut it off, I promise" Sakura assured allowing the tension that she'd felt for the last several days to start draining out of her.

One hour later she felt them switch from water to land leaving behind that dreadful deluge "You can take it off now, the blindfold I mean your far enough away to not figure out where we are" Kisame promptly deposited her on her feet.

To which she ripped the blindfold off and allowed her vision to come into focus "Right seriously you don't have to take me all the way back to Leaf, I've got my own way and it'll take me straight home" the rosette turned to the rogue who actually seemed to be a good guy much like Zabuza.

She wondered what it was about rogues from Mist that turned them soft after being rogues for awhile, it was probably a mystery she'd never figure out though, Kisame lifted a brow at her confidence of being sent home immediately "Show me" he demanded.

With that she lifted the kunai covered in seals she'd received from Kakashi out of her kimono collar where it had been tucked "All I have to do is push chakra into the seals and I'll be teleported home" Sakura explained wanting to try it for curiosity sake.

He was obviously dubious "Go ahead then Pinky-chan that is if you think it will work" Kisame gestured for her to go ahead and do as she'd been instructed and then in the next moment she was gone, but just to keep up appearances he started in the direction of Leaf anyway.

~Meanwhile~

The moment she found solid ground beneath her feet again Sakura almost face-planted as her body couldn't keep up with how fast the Hiraishin seal actually was, there was a familiar chakra nearby to, really close actually.

And at the same time she looked up a sliding door slid open to reveal "SAKURA-CHAN" Kakashi shrilled so unlike himself as he slammed the door to his shower stall, when he heard no sounds of movement, he hesitantly peeked through a crack he made.

Only to find the girl passed out from shock probably, Kakashi sighed and hurriedly grabbed a towel "Momochi get Sakura on the couch while I get dressed" the silver haired Jonin ordered, marching through the living room in nothing but a towel.

Zabuza raised a nearly nonexistent brow "Thought the brat was on a mission" Zabuza grunted, not having left the Leaf Village yet because he was still recovering from that binding ritual, it had been hellish on the body to say the least.

Kakashi pointed not answering any question yet so Zabuza did as asked "Seriously Hatake, and how the hell did she get in your bathroom anyway" the rogue grumbled snatching the girl up and depositing her on a couch a couple minutes later.

Eight minutes later the Copy Ninja was back, carefully looking over Sakura "For your question she was supposed to be on a mission, if she's back that means she's completed it, how she ended up in my bathroom, I don't know probably a malfunction of the seal I gave her" Kakashi frowned.

It had been an awful long time since the Hiraishin seals had been used after all "I'm gonna go tell that Tsunade woman" Zabuza hopped up as if on fire, who knows what the brat went through on her mission if that was the face Kakashi was making.

Nine minutes later he was back with Tsunade in tow, who knelt at Sakura's side, hands glowing green "Light bruising of her ribcage, she's absolutely soaked through to the bone, no torture, her mind seems to be stable" Tsunade proclaimed as she checked her apprentice over thoroughly.

Finding nothing that indicated she'd went through any sort of trauma of any kind, "Get her some clothes Hatake, we need to get her out of these wet ones or she'll come down sick" the honey eyed blonde barked in the next second, not wanting to take that chance.

The man ran for his bedroom, grabbing a long shirt, plus several blankets and against his better judgement a pair of his shorts "Here Lady Tsunade" the silver haired Jonin thrust the clothing articles at the woman.

Who snatched them and her apprentice up from the couch, before vanishing into the spare bedroom that Zabuza was using "Just what kind of mission was she on that you would think she'd come back mentally unstable and tortured" the raven haired rogue demanded to know in the next moment.

But the Jonin was tight lipped about any sort of information "I'm leaving her here in your care Hatake, Momochi, I'll inform Shisui and Itachi, and when she wakes up I want to know immediately" Tsunade stalked through the living room five minutes later.

"Understood Hokage-sama, I promise Sakura-chan will get the rest that she needs now and you'll be the second or rather third probably to know when she wakes up" Kakashi nodded seriously and saluted the woman who was his leader now.

Then Tsunade was gone "Are you going to answer me Hatake, I'm just as worried about the brat to you know" Zabuza grumbled unhappy that something seemed to be going on that he had no idea about, and then he remembered her tiredness during the ritual was this why she'd been so exhausted.

Kakashi seemed to be contemplating "Very well, Sakura-chan successfully infiltrated Akatsuki Headquarters and met it's leader face to face on her own, we didn't know what to expect, so I gave her an old kunai that belonged to my former sensei" the Copy Ninja grimaced.

Shooting worried looks at the closed bedroom door "You sent her off on her own, Hoshigaki is in that organization, they could have killed her, raped her, tortured….is that why you expected her to be mentally unstable" the rogue trailed off growing pale.

"Fortunately for us Kisame Hoshigaki knew about Itachi-kun being a double agent and swore on his life that he would bring Sakura-chan back to us no matter what he had to do, which included betraying Akatsuki, all for Itachi-kun" Kakashi added.

That wasn't to say they weren't still worried about her, she was unconscious after all "Hoshigaki's always been weird I suppose" Zabuza rolled his eyes upwards in slight annoyance here he was worrying like an idiot when the brat would probably be fine.

During this time Tsunade had reached the Haruno House "Oh Hokage-sama what brings you here…..don't tell me something happened to Sakura on her mission" a blonde woman with green eyes, Sakura's mother was the one to answer the door and then suspected bad news.

"No she's fine, resting elsewhere, but I'm afraid those boys won't let her rest without pestering her so she's staying there until she's fully recovered, no injuries except a light bruise, but when she wakes up, she'll want her own clothes" Tsunade gave the official report.

And was allowed into the house to wait "Tsunade-sama if your here does that mean Sakura-san is back from her mission" Itachi noticed her immediately, having taken up residency in the Haruno house like his brother and Shisui had, even if they were sharing a room.

"Back from her mission already that was fast, must not have been as important as you all were making it out to be" Sasuke scowled, he'd been worried out of his freaking mind, yet Sakura had only been gone for not quite four days.

Tsunade raised a brow "I assure you brat, it was a very important mission and you should feel lucky that she even made it back" the honey eyed woman glowered at the little brat who'd been trying to make her life difficult the past few days by pestering her about Sakura's mission.

Sasuke took three steps back and ducked behind his older brother like a child would do not wholly unafraid to admit the older woman terrified him more than Sakura ever could "If Sakura-chan is back from her mission how come she hasn't come home yet" Naruto frowned.

"Currently resting where you four won't be allowed to pester her until she's fully caught up on sleep, I merely came to acquire clothing for her and maybe the materials for the instructors exam" Tsunade snorted harshly and Naruto sulked.

However there was an understanding gleam in his baby blue eyes "Not fair, I wanted to be the first person to see Sakura-chan when she got back and how did she get back so fast" Shisui pouted in a creepy way that she absolutely hated.

"Use of fuinjutsu that's all I'll reveal until Sakura wakes up, thank you Mebuki-san, blonde brat" the honey eyed blonde took a pack that held some of Sakura's clothes, and the books for the instructors exam then body flickered.

Suppressing her chakra to nonexistent levels as she returned to the Hatake Residence to drop off the pack and books "Any change" Tsunade questioned but both males shook their heads, so with that she returned to her office to get some paperwork done.

It was hours later in the Hatake House that a soft groan came from the spare bedroom, Kakashi was on his feet in a flash throwing the door open with a bang, Sakura jumped "Oh Kakashi-sensei er um sorry" then ducked her head, cheeks bright red in embarrassment as she apologized.

"Never mind about that Sakura-chan it was an accident, the Hiraishin seal on the kunai is old so it probably malfunctioned a little from wear and tear, now tell me how do you feel, are you alright, did they do anything at all to hurt you" the silver haired Jonin rattled off question after question.

So fast that it made Sakura's head spin "Um I'm fine really and I feel alright as well and no they didn't do anything to hurt me, the Leader wanted me unharmed, though I did get a pointy shoulder in my ribs, when Hoshigaki threw me to his mission partner" the rosette scowled.

As she raised a glowing green hand to where she knew a bruise had formed and healed it "Can you remember where they took you brat, what the leader was like, abilities and such or how many other members there are" the rogue from Mist piped in interested himself.

"Tsunade-shishou should be here when I say all that, until then I'm not saying a word" Sakura shook her head, she still had to work out the hint Kisame had given her after all and she felt like she was about to pass out again.

Kakashi sent off Pakkun and it was only four minutes later that Tsunade appeared "Brat, brat please tell me your really alright and nothing happened" the honey eyed blonde grabbed up her apprentice in only the second hug they'd shared.

"I'm okay Shishou, no nothing happened, Hoshigaki gave me a hint, the village that always cries, I think it's the Hidden Rain Village, the leader has orange hair and purple ripple patterned eyes that I've never seen before, besides Itachi and Hoshigaki, there's Sasori Akasuna" the pinkette ticked off her fingers.

That was a lot more information than they thought they'd get "Sasori Akasuna is from Hidden Sand, he's a master puppet craftsman and good with poisons, did you get anything else Sakura-chan" Kakashi prodded lightly not wanting to overwhelm the girl.

Who'd literally just woken up "Danzo said something weird, he knew the guy, said he'd had him killed a long time ago and something about Jiraiya-sama taking him on as a student once upon a time" Sakura frowned not really sure how to explain the weird moment.

However that wasn't to say someone didn't understand as Tsunade went rigid "Hidden Rain Village, a long time ago, Jiraiya took on some orphan students, their names were Yahiko, Konan and Nagato, he told me they all died though from an accident" Tsunade creased her brow.

"I was only told to call him Leader, but the guy had freakish orange hair if that helps, I thought mine was bad that was weirder" the rosette touched a hand to her brightly colored locks of hair, a frustrated expression on her face causing Zabuza to snort.

Making her realize he was still there in Hidden Leaf "Anyway brat your stuck here with Hatake and Momochi to rest alright" the older woman pat her apprentice on the shoulder and stepped back, she had a lot of things to think about and mull over now.

Then she was gone in a puff of smoke "Brat, here, clothes and something to keep you occupied for the next couple of days" Zabuza held out a pack and Sakura finally seemed to realize that she was in clothes that were far to big on her.

"Er thanks Zabuza, for the clothes to Kakashi-sensei" Sakura spied the man's clan crest on the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing and taking the pack that was being held out to her, both males promptly vanished from the room she was in and the door shut behind Kakashi.

Glad that she was being given some alone time she carefully maneuvered herself from the bed she was on keeping her expression rather stoic as immediately the shorts she was wearing slipped from her hips to pool on the ground in a huge heap, clearly to big for her to wear.

Don't even get her started on the shirt which practically went to her knee's, and the sleeves were ginormous as she wiggled out of it, then gratefully donned her own clothing and folded up the clothes she'd been wearing a few moments before hand.

With the folded up clothes and pack hanging off her arm, she exited the bedroom she was in "Feel better Sakura-chan" Kakashi chuckled lightly taking the clothes she held out to him, she had probably felt uncomfortable in them as she nodded quietly.

Before climbing into a chair to sit and read for awhile, studying for her instructor's exam which was so like her it was unbelievable how dedicated to things she was "So brat how long is this achy crap from the ritual suppose to last" the raven haired rogue grumbled from his spot on the couch.

Viridian orbs flickered up and towards him "Just a few more days I think Zabuza-san, I'm sorry it was so hard on you" the pinkette apologized feeling guilty and his gaze softened for a moment before he snorted harshly and settled back on the couch.

"You know I thought it was just a rumor that you were studying for the academy instructor's exam, but I guess it wasn't a rumor huh, do you know how long you have left before the exam anyway" the silver haired nin frowned seeing how frantically she was studying and taking notes.

Again she looked up and nodded "About 2 weeks and 2 days, Sasuke's studying for it to, the academy is going to get a major curriculum overhaul soon and I want to prove that with these changes fresh out of the academy genin will produce better results" Sakura announced.

"Of course Sakura-chan, just remember not to push yourself to hard okay" Kakashi warned lightly getting comfortable in a chair himself and pulling out his infamous orange book, her eye twitched but she didn't dare say a word of complaint because this was Kakashi's home.

As far as she was concerned she didn't have a single right to tell him what he could and couldn't read while in his apartment "For kami sake Hatake don't you have any sense in your head to not read that porn in front of an innocent brat like the brat" Zabuza groaned.

Realizing what the man was doing Sakura bit her lip and cleared her throat "I'm not as innocent as you think Zabuza-san but it's okay really this is his home after all" the rosette shrugged uncaring for the most part, all she really wanted to do was study to make up those three days she'd missed.

Zabuza rolled his eyes right he'd nearly forgotten the brat was weird like that "What do you mean your not as innocent as I think, don't tell me you've been raped somehow" the rogue from Mist snapped suddenly as his mind thought up all sorts of horrible things.

"No, but she has been through mental trauma, twice now if I recall" the silver haired Jonin commented, snapping his book shut and finding a normal one to read, he could be courteous, Sakura deserved to be worry free for once.

It was obvious that was news to Zabuza, who frowned the deepest they'd ever seen "Got caught in Itachi's Tsukuyomi accidentally to save idiot Sasuke from his mega stupid moment, also got caught up in the Uchiha Clan Massacre when I was eight" Sakura grimaced.

"Yes and both of them are still paying for that in the form of therapy sessions with Inoichi, come to think of it, do you want me to set one up for you Sakura-chan, it might help if you have anything that's bugging you" Kakashi nodded lips pressed into a thin line.

But to his surprise Sakura shook her head "No I'm okay for now, most of the trauma from those incidents are fading, still can't stand the smell of blood though" her lip curled in disgust, it was probably the most infuriating thing to her, to be unable to handle the smell of blood as a ninja.

Again Zabuza was surprised "You've been through a lot haven't you brat" the raven haired rogue creased his almost nonexistent brows together in mild concern, sue him the brat had done him two favors, he owed her, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Her gaze softened "I have but I'm still fighting for those that need me" the fuscia haired teen smiled brightly, it was almost blinding to him to have such a smile directed at him as the three of them lapsed into a comfortable silence filled only by the sound of pencil scratching on paper or pages of a book being flipped.

Until dinner time in which Kakashi actually cooked a halfway decent meal with her giving him some pointers on how to improve, then he courteously gave up his bed for her despite her insistence that she was perfectly fine with sleeping on the couch.

Two days later she was packing up her limited belongings and heading home "Thank you Kakashi-sensei" Sakura bowed, thanking the man for putting up with her shenanigans the last couple of days and Zabuza's who was leaving that day as well.

"Just take care of yourself okay Sakura-chan, you as well Zabuza, send letters every once in awhile so we're not unnecessarily worried" Kakashi pat the young girl on the head before turning his attention on the rogue who would be fighting for his country from the shadows.

He grunted and nodded "Fine I can do that, even come back to visit every few months or something, maybe next time I'll bring Haku" Zabuza growled earning a giggle from Sakura who turned on her heel and marched off to her home.

Needless to say when she did get home the first thing that happened was that she was snapped up in a hug by Shisui "Promise me Sakura-chan you'll never do anything that dangerous on your own again" Shisui sobbed unable to reign in his overwhelming emotions.

Practically crushing her with his tight grip, she was about to toss him on his back when Itachi came to the rescue "Shisui if you don't relax a little, Sakura-san won't be able to breath" Itachi warned seeing the struggle for air.

Shisui pulled back in horror "You don't have to worry Shisui-ni, I'm okay really, nothing happened beyond being tied up to a tree once or twice, also thanks Itachi-san" the pinkette deadpanned as she gained a little distance from the emotional Uchiha.

"Tied up to a tree, that sounds more like you were kidnapped rather than being on a mission" Sasuke rounded the corner hearing the commotion that was Shisui, who loved to be noisy sometimes early in the morning to piss him off.

Of course the youngest Uchiha didn't know that her mission had been to let herself get kidnapped and she wondered if she could even say "Can you tell us or not Sakura-chan" Naruto poked his head through the doorway that lead into the living room from the foyer.

It was an obvious debate whether she could or not "Well part of my mission was to allow myself to be captured, that's all I'll say until I get permission from Tsunade-shishou to say more" Sakura finally answered, and it was probably best if neither Naruto or Sasuke knew anyway.

As the lot of them traipsed into the living room "Their working their stall this morning, we haven't had breakfast" the oldest Uchiha in the house now explained her parents absence from the house, it was something she expected though so hadn't been to worried.

"Course you haven't" the rosette rolled her eyes lightly, cooking breakfast for a bunch of males was the last thing she wanted to do though, Sasuke and Itachi noticed her unhappy expression and slowly inched their way to the kitchen to get started on breakfast themselves.

"Either way we're glad to have you back Sakura-chan, those three have been an absolute nightmare since you've been gone" the goofy blonde Uzumaki glared at the three Uchiha's living in the house with them and plopped down at the low living room table.

That looked suspiciously new and she wondered what had happened "I get the feeling that I really don't want to know" the fuscia haired teen commented joining the knucklehead at the table as well and pulling out her studying materials, only two weeks left so it was crunch time literally.

Naruto shook his head indicating she didn't and they both lapsed into a comfortable silence until a crash sounded from the kitchen and a familiar yelp of pain from Sasuke "Otouto didn't I tell you to be careful" came the Uchiha heir's amused voice.

"Shut up Ni-san like you could have done better without messing up" the third remaining Uchiha in existence and the youngest snapped back with a growl and Sakura rolled her eyes determined to ignore it for the time being because she was done acting as babysitter for Sasuke for awhile.

Eighteen minutes later, filled with more insults, crashes and other questionable noises to Itachi's amusement breakfast was finished when Sakura walked into the kitchen she looked suspiciously around for any sort of damage done to the room and found nothing out of place.

Wary as she was, she still sat at the table with the others to eat the morning meal, giving her thanks for the food and digging in with the manners that had been instilled in her by her mother, Itachi watched curious for a moment then focused on eating his own food.

Before the lot of them traipsed into the living room again "By the way Sakura-san, the seals you and Naruto-san put over the house are very clever if not painful" Itachi said suddenly and Sakura realized that the seventeen year old must have been subjected to them.

"Already tweaked the seals a little so don't worry Sakura-chan, even improved them some to, to provide better protection for Itachi" Naruto piped in with a grin, scratching down some new idea's to implement probably, like Kurenai had told her, something can always be improved.

"Those two also broke the table if you were wondering" Shisui commented and Sakura understood why they had a new low sitting table in place of the old one, of course Sasuke wouldn't have understood at first why Itachi was there in a place he called home now.

Sasuke, who crossed his arms over his chest and scowled "Shouldn't you be studying Sasuke, the exam is only two weeks away now" Sakura pointed out when she noticed none of the studying materials for the instructor exam was before him.

He spluttered for a second "Just didn't want to study until you got back, I didn't have the motivation" Sasuke grumbled, disappearing for a few minutes and coming back with his own study materials for the exam they would both be partaking in.

Quiet blanketed them until the door opened and shut "Oh Sakura-chan your home, did you rest well where ever Hokage-sama left you" Mebuki noticed that her daughter was in fact home where she belonged and looked better than she had before she'd left.

"Mhm it was nice and peaceful Mom, Dad the place I stayed for the most part anyway, I might have participated in a little bit of shenanigans only because a certain someone was trying to pick on me" the pinkette grinned widely in amusement.

And her Father let out a bark of laughter "That's my girl, show up anyone who tries to beat you down" Kizashi chuckled pulling his daughter into a hug, kami how he'd missed her and it had only been five days since the last time he'd seen her.

Then they sat to do their own thing until lunch and dinner, before finally bed time, Sakura happily fell into her bed that night having missed it for the last five nights, she even spent some time snuggling Mibojin and the two goliath beetles before falling asleep.

It was the following morning that they got unexpected visitors "Sakura, Sasuke, we have a C Rank in the village mission to get rid of some rather pesky critters from the hospital, a nurse tipped over an old box during cleaning and out fell a hoard of cockroaches" Shibi cleared his throat.

Shisui, Itachi and Naruto cringed, one less visibly than the other, while Sasuke stood and vanished up the steps to get some things needed for the extraction of cockroaches from the hospital and Sakura's eyes sparkled in excitement at that normal mission for once.

Four minutes later Team Nine was gone from the house on their way to the hospital "How do you propose we deal with this issue, why because it won't be easy capturing all of them" Shino questioned of his teammates, who were both Chunin now.

Leaving him behind for two and a half more months so long as he found a team to join anyway "Let's see, cockroaches can get into the smallest crevices, so perhaps first using your insect gathering jutsu, before placing a barrier to collect them" Sakura mused.

Coming up with a plan on the spot, it allowed for a lot of wiggle room and tweaking as they went along as well "Nice Sakura, you know I'm kind of glad for a normal mission after how the last several have been" Sasuke commented with a slight scowl on his face.

Behind them Shibi coughed silently agreeing with Sasuke how he was relieved that the mission was so benign "Indeed" the Aburame Patriarch nodded as they reached the hospital and entered through the doors only to find the lobby crowded with nurses.

Female nurses to be precise, Sakura rolled her eyes at their cowardice towards bugs "Oh I wasn't aware that you would be the ones slated for the removal of the cockroaches" Ittei caught them on their way to the room that the infestation and hoard had been found initially.

"Yep probably for the best, though I do have to wonder how we manage to keep getting bug or insect related missions all the time" the rosette who would someday be his Assistant quipped with a smile and he was glad to see her in high spirits for once, like how she'd been at first.

"Well good luck from what I heard the roaches have scattered to all parts of the hospital and I hope you capture them all" the purple haired man grimaced, disgusted at the infestation himself, but getting ready to scold the medics for neglecting their duties.

As Team Nine continued on their way "Scattered to all parts of the hospital, great this is going to take forever" the Uchiha of the team complained, though there was anticipation in his gaze, indicating he didn't mind all that much that the mission would be challenging.

A couple minutes later they were stood in the room "There should still be some here in the room, so place these tags and prepare to raise a barrier then capture the pesky little insects" the brunet heir instructed as he placed his hand on the floor.

It felt utterly disgusting but a mission was a mission as the tags were placed and his teammates readied themselves to raise a barrier without him for once "Ninja Art: Insect Gathering Jutsu" Shino murmured spreading his chakra out on the floor like a web.

Calling all insects to him, "Four Point Amethyst Sealing Barrier Jutsu" Sasuke finished the hand signs, sealing them in while Sakura shot forward with her insect net and scooped a bunch of cockroaches up before dumping them into a glass tank she always carried for missions like this.

"Got them all, hopefully" Sakura worried her lip knowing that some insects were finicky when it came to Shino's insect gathering jutsu, so the barrier was taken down and he tried the jutsu again, a few scurried forth and they were easily captured before they moved on to other parts of the hospital.

Nine minutes later Sasuke wanted to throw something "Just how many freaking cockroaches are there" the Uchiha was getting frustrated it was easy to see, of course who wouldn't be frustrated, Sakura's glass tank was completely full and they hadn't even scoured half of the hospital yet.

"Relax Sasuke, Sakura have that taken off with a clone to dump outside the village, tell her to return quickly" Shibi instructed his lone female student, who did as told without question still, making a clone and sending it off with her glass tank.

This only took a couple minutes before the four of them were on the move again on the hunt for cockroaches "Okay that's the initial, I say we go back to our starting point and repeat just to make sure we haven't missed a single one" the pinkette was still nonsensical though.

Even if she had a point "Good idea, we don't want to leave any behind" the Aburame Patriarch nodded in agreement with Sakura, as her clone returned with the tank, so the lot of them went back to their starting point to search some more.

Just as expected there were still quite a few cockroaches as they went about, that had been stubborn towards Shino's jutsu and after a couple more rounds concluded that all the roaches had been captured and tossed outside the village courtesy of a Sakura clone.

"Well that's over, why because there are no more" the brunet heir commented simply watching as Sakura filled out the report for them and they each added their own little comments, followed by seeking out Ittei to inform them that the mission was complete to get his signature.

Before Shibi took the mission scroll with their reports and left them to their own devices "See you at home son" was all Shibi said vanishing in a swirl of kikaichu, his students stared at one another then burst out laughing at his abrupt disappearance.

"Perhaps that was Father's subtle way of telling us to spend some time together as a team, why because you've both been so busy with B Rank Missions lately" Shino shook his head lightly in amusement just grateful that the three of them were still doing missions together.

Obviously the idea appealed to his teammates just as much as it appealed to him "Maybe later we can even see if we can get the rest of the rookies together at Yakiniku Q to just sit and chat like we haven't been able to for a long time" Sasuke suggested.

When they started down the streets in a random direction completely in sync of one another "Not a bad idea Sasuke, if I can summon Katsuyu, would you write the invitations, perhaps even for Neji-san, Tenten-san and Lee-san as well" Sakura smiled wide excited for what the night would hopefully bring.

Hanging out with her former classmates turned rookies was a great way to unwind and catch up with them, Sasuke seemed to like the idea to as he immediately started writing invitations for their get together at Yakiniku Q at 7 o'clock for that day.

Then Sakura flashed through a set of hand signs, concentrating ridiculously hard on which of her summons she wanted to summon and slammed her hand on the ground "Sakura-sama what can I do for you" thankfully Katsuyu appeared when the smoke dissipated.

Sakura looked extremely excited that she'd managed to summon the slug, given it was still a miniature version of Katsuyu but she'd done it three times now "Yes Katsuyu-sama, if you would send these out to all of my former classmates and fellow rookies please" the rosette requested.

Giving the slug the highest form of respect and honor as she dissolved into a bunch of even smaller versions of herself and disappeared in multiple poofs of smokes "Crap I think that's cooler than your spider summons no offense Sakura" the ebony haired preteen gaped in awe.

Just a tiny bit envious that she got all the luck with cool summons, maybe though now that his older brother was back, Itachi would consider teaching him the crow summons if he asked super seriously, otherwise he was going to have to find other options than blasted cats.

"Quite, why because with slug summons I bet you could learn to even heal people without touching them, proving why your best suited to becoming Hokage-sama's apprentice" the Aburame heir praised and Sakura felt her cheeks grow warm.

Right as a derisive snort came from behind them "Yeah right the only thing that freak is best suited to being is nothing and that's all she'll ever be, why don't you give other people a chance to shine in the spotlight for once freak" then came the most degrading voice ever.

None of them even recognized it as they swung around "Listen here you…..what are you doing Sakura, why are you stopping me" Sasuke scowled when Sakura prevented him from charging forward and punching that bastard right in the face like he deserved.

"Because I'm Tsunade-shishou's apprentice, I must not make a scene or people will think more poorly of me than they already do, besides nothing you or anyone else says will get him to see reason" Sakura explained firmly calming the situation down with a stern glance.

As the older Chunin probably stormed off, peeved that he hadn't been able to get under her skin probably "Instances like that will keep happening won't they Sakura" Shino frowned not liking that so many people seemed to dislike Sakura, was it because she was civilian born.

Probably and it kind of irritated him a little that they were judging her based on her clan-less background, he was so irritated that it affected the kikaichu hosting within his body until they were hissing angrily voicing his current mood.

Sasuke and Sakura shared a look before Sakura leaned forward and pecked the easily depressed Shino on the cheek successfully distracting him from his anger "Anyway so long as I don't let them, they can't get under my skin" the pinkette smiled brightly.

In the next second the many little Katsuyu's returned "Team Gai said they couldn't make it Sakura-sama they send their apologies as their being sent off on a week and a half mission to Sand to take care of bandits that keep attacking and injuring civilians" one Katsuyu said.

Followed by the others with confirmation from Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji "Well that just leaves Dope, I'll send a clone to inform him of our get-together at the barbecue restaurant" the Uchiha released the breath he was holding and quickly sent off a clone.

Who came back with confirmation that Naruto would be there at exactly 7 o'clock "Might as well go make the reservation, why because no one will be happy sitting at separate booths" the brunet heir pointed out and so they made their way in the direction of the restaurant.

Making a huge reservation for a booth that would all nine of them hopefully if they squeezed together a little, when they did reach the Yakiniku Q, then the three of them spent the rest of the time until the get together goofing off in the Aburame Compound forest.

Upon arriving at Yakiniku Q they found a couple of their former classmates already waiting for them "Sakura, Shino, Sasuke, it's been awhile, it's to bad more of us didn't get promoted to Chunin the first time around due to that troublesome invasion" Shikamaru greeted.

Lazy as they remembered him being as nearly his entire upper half was slumped over the table where the grill would go once the rest of them got there "Thanks for inviting me it's been way to long since we've gotten together like this" Ino rolled her eyes at her teammate.

"Yeah I agree, so much has happened that it's unreal and hard to keep up sometimes" Sakura nodded, plopping down gracefully next to Ino, chattering away like no tomorrow already to the disturbance of Sasuke, Shino and Shikamaru.

Seconds later Naruto and Hinata stepped into the restaurant together, spotted the others and made their way over to the large booth "Th..This is a nice i..idea Sakura-chan, thank you f..for suggesting w..we get together" Hinata bowed, stuttering but not as bad as she use to.

Thanks to wonderful friendships with two strong girls, her confidence had grown in leaps and bounds "Definitely, so how did your mission go earlier something about catching cockroaches that got loose in the hospital right" Naruto flopped down carelessly.

Nearly falling into Hinata's lap, the girl blushed badly and let out a tiny little squeak of embarrassment at the close proximity of her crush "Ugh it was an absolute nightmare, we had to go around the hospital like four times just to make sure we got them all" Sasuke groaned.

Wishing he hadn't been reminded but of course the knucklehead had to be curious "That's not to say it's been the strangest mission we've been on, why because all of our team missions have been bug-related" Shino reminded while Sakura and Sasuke grimaced.

Shikamaru snorted while Ino laughed clearly amused and Hinata merely smiled "Hope we're not to late to the party, Yahoo" Kiba bounced into the restaurant, Akamaru perched atop his head like usual and plopped down in the booth with the others, who all shook their heads.

"Am I seriously the last one to get here, hold on those guys Neji, Tenten and Lee aren't here" Choji was the last to join them and immediately notice the absence of Team Gai, he'd thought all the rookies that had participated in the Chunin Exams had been invited after all.

Sakura was the one to answer "Unfortunately, when I sent out the invitations they were packing to go off on a week and a half mission, but it's good the rest of you were able to come, I needed to hang out with my friends for a bit of normalcy for once" the rosette answered kindly.

It sucked but there was little any of them could do "By the way since when could you use slug summons, I thought you had spider summons, unless you terminated our contract with them" the Nara heir questioned suddenly.

"I'm Hokage-sama's apprentice so she wanted me to learn how to use Katsuyu-sama her personal summons, and nope I still have Mibojin-sama and his clan, it just requires extreme concentration, time and effort but you can have more than one summons at a time" the pinkette grinned.

Shocking those at the booth who didn't know "Wow that means you can effectively summon two summons now" the Inuzuka heir whistled in awe, of course Sakura had always been talented, so having two summons and learning how to summon each one individually wouldn't be to hard for her.

"Not quite, it still requires a lot of concentration on her part and thinking clearly on which summon she wants to summon out here" the Aburame on Sakura's team explained carefully and Kiba realized that if it was that hard then Sakura really was talented.

Even if she was struggling, she'd managed to summon the slug "Guess Hokage-sama chose right huh, though it must be hard, knowing you have all those duties piled on your shoulders now that she's your Mistress" the blonde heiress next to her frowned.

Worried that her friend was pushing herself "I..I heard th..that y..you and Sasuke a..are intending on becoming p..part time academy sensei i..is that true Sakura-chan" the blue haired heiress asked suddenly which prompted another round of chatter and questions.

Until Sasuke raised his hand "Whatever you've heard Hinata is true, we still have two weeks before the test and neither of know what's on the exam at all" the Uchiha grimaced, but with their smarts they were sure to pass it anyway.

"Oh look our order is here, let's get to grilling our meat" the Akimichi heir was the first to notice the approach of their waiter, carting a tray filled with various meats, sauces, powders and their drink of choice on it that was passed around followed by the smell of cooking meat.

Ribs, steaks, wings, boneless thighs and legs, some smothered in hot sauce or the like was cooked "This is going to be a night to remember" the blonde knucklehead cheered laughing like crazy in moderation of course because he didn't want to get them kicked out.

And it was a night to remember as they had fun, laughed, joked around with one another, shared tales of missions gone wrong or hilarious screw ups, ate until they couldn't eat anymore, and took a group picture to commemorate the day before heading home to go to sleep.


	31. Of Exams, Inaugurations & Weddings

Before Sasuke and Sakura knew it there was only one day until the academy instructor's exam "Have you seen my pencil box Sakura, or even my calligraphy set" Sasuke scowled knowing if he didn't prepare now then he would be late the following morning to the exam.

And that was something he didn't want happening at all no matter what "Under your bed I think Sasuke, like I told you before you're a chunin now please try to be a little more organized" Sakura snorted lightly, having already prepared her pencils and whatnot for the exam.

Neither of them knew what they were going to have to do though but at least it would be a challenge and then they'd finally be able to start helping academy students "Did you find your stuff Sasuke-chan" Shisui sniggered earning a scowl.

"You know nothing will come of teasing otouto Shisui-san" Itachi pointed out politely, trying to reign in the sole exuberant Uchiha in existence now, with little success as Shisui proceeded to pull Sasuke into a headlock and roughly rub the boys head with his knuckles.

Which caused them to tousle about on the floor nearly breaking something again until Mebuki firmly put her foot down "Boys that is enough if you can't behave then out" Mebuki put her hands on her hips looking like some kind of demon emerging from hell.

Shisui felt goosebumps rise on his flesh as he promptly released his baby cousin and sat on the couch like a good little Jonin "See what you did Shisui, you got her angry" Naruto shuddered lightly himself as the woman stormed off into the kitchen to get started on lunch.

"It's never a good idea to get on her bad side" Kizashi piped in helpfully, while Sakura nodded sagely, getting in some last minute studying, cramming as much information into her head as she could until Sasuke sat to do the same thing, eyes flying furiously over words and flipping through pages at a high speed rate.

Until Mebuki called them in for lunch "Just remember from now on if you two want to roughhouse go outside and do that so you don't break anymore personal objects" the emerald eyed blonde woman scolded Shisui who nodded and kept his mouth shut.

Itachi was tempted to laugh at his best friend but didn't want to draw the woman's ire onto himself "Roger that Mebuki-san and I'm sorry" the twenty year old apologized seriously, sometimes he couldn't help himself though but he knew when enough was enough.

"Let's hope you actually understand this time Shisui cause your teasing is ridiculous, we're not children anymore" the raven haired preteen huffed spearing a vegetable onto his fork and shoving it into his mouth with manners that had been somewhat drilled into him.

Sakura was the worst off though, eating with her mouth closed, swallowing every last bit of food before talking, no elbows on the table, back straight, he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that and he was just glad that Mebuki allowed him a little slack.

Even Naruto, though he'd gotten stricter instruction from Mebuki to mind his manners at the table "So you two really don't know what's going to happen on the test do you" the blue eyed blonde questioned halfway through lunch when his plate was nearly cleared of food.

"Nope and asking questions has gotten us no where, the principle, Iruka-sensei, Sasuke went and asked, but the academy sensei are pretty tight lipped about it" the pinkette admitted, staring at her plate for a moment then polishing off the rest of her food.

Hopping up when she was done to was the dishes she'd used, Itachi lining up behind her moments afterwards "I wouldn't worry to much Sakura-san, you and Sasuke have a knack for tests and such, so you'll both do fine I'm sure of it" the Uchiha heir assured seeing the worried expression.

And wanting to do something that would ascertain her fears a little about the academy sensei exam "Yeah Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun, you'll do fine" the pink haired male quipped knowing his daughter best, she was studious by nature and very smart, Sasuke came right after her.

With hope in their hearts now, the duo crammed until their brains hurt for the rest of the day, even somewhat through dinner, Mebuki allowing them a little slack this time because it was for an important cause and they were still eating with manners.

Finally as the village was settling down to get some sleep, Sasuke and Sakura crawled into their beds, setting an alarm as they went and drifted off, to get as much rest as they could, only to be woken by a blaring noise in their ears signaling it was time to get up.

They took showers, dressed in their best, ate breakfast, and after writing a quick note headed out the door to where the exam was being held "Who the hell let two genin brats in here" an older man spat the moment they showed up.

"Excuse me Sir, but Sasuke and I are both Chunin, also why else would we be here but to take the instructors exam" Sakura shot right back not taking any crap that morning it seemed, which promptly shut the older man up to others amusement.

Who'd been insulted as well "Man remind me not to get on either yours or Mebuki's bad sides ever" Sasuke shuddered taking a seat next to her, seeing as the one conducting the exam wasn't there yet and he was sure they'd be separated once the man arrived.

Imagine their surprise when the principle of the academy himself showed up "Listen up, today's the academy instructor exam if your here by mistake then get out, if not, spread out, cheating is absolutely forbidden if your caught even once your out" the principle began.

Passing around the exam papers while the nine potential academy sensei before him spread out among the rows so they couldn't cheat off one another "There's one other rule, if you can't supply an answer for any of the questions consider yourself failed, now begin" he warned.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair as she flipped over her exam to start answering question and was immediately stumped 'What kind of question is that, if your students begin fighting one another how would you solve the problem' she thought with a frown.

Not that it was very hard, she'd take them to task of course, separate them and give them a scolding on the importance of teamwork, if they were going to be shinobi they would have to learn how to get along whether they liked the other person or not.

It sounded like a reasonable answer after all as she cranked off the next three in similar fashion, two rows below her, Sasuke scowled inwardly wondering what kind of exam this was to have such weird questions on it.

'Like how am I supposed to know what to do to stop a kid from skipping all the damn time' Sasuke grumbled inwardly, thinking long and hard as he remembered the principle's warning about leaving any questions unanswered.

Then finally came up with a suitable answer that would hopefully not get him landed in jail for it, hopefully he wasn't to sure if punishing the kid and making him serve detentions that require hard labor was a good answer but it was all he could come up with at the time.

And he was pretty sure it was the same kind of answer Sakura would have thought up to, scratching down the next couple of answers in quick succession as he really worked his brain to come up with unique answers and not rely on his teammate even in mind.

For the next hour the only sounds that filled the exam room were scratching of pencils on paper and little frustrated sighs when someone would stumble over a ridiculous hard to answer kind of question most likely, the principle of the academy watching a clock behind their heads.

"You lot take a ten minute break, stay in your seats, drink some water if you must but if your eyes wander I'll know so no funny business" the principle ordered in the next moment, and Sakura cracked her wrist and drew a canteen of water from her storage pouch.

Glad she'd even thought to bring some in the first place, ten minutes passed by relatively fast, then she picked up her pencils and read the fiftieth question 'K, so they want to know how I'd handle confrontation on my own if a parent doesn't like my teaching methods' the pinkette frowned.

Reading over the question a couple more times to make sure she wasn't misreading it, then scribbled down a suitable answer that would satisfy even the most burly of parents, then scratched down the next several.

Until it felt like their hands were going to fall off from the countless questions on the exam, reading through each question when she'd answered them all to make sure she hadn't missed a single one and even tweaked a few of her answers.

In all the exam had lasted a good three and a half hours "Right that's it your done, tomorrow they should be graded so come back here late afternoon" the principle of the academy collected the stacks of exam papers as he told the wannabe instructors to come back the next day.

Sasuke sidled up to Sakura on their way out the door to the exam room "Did you find that just as weird as I did" the ebony haired preteen questioned with an odd look on his face, that exam had been really weird, a little to weird for his tastes actually.

"Believe me Sasuke it was weird, yet challenging in a way, I'm sure there's a purpose, but we don't know so just suck it up if you want to be an academy instructor" Sakura rolled her eyes lightly bran feeling like mush just a little.

Thankfully Sasuke didn't complain anymore as they walked the streets home "We're back, we won't know until tomorrow if we passed" Sasuke called as he opened the door for them to shuffle into the foyer and take off their sandals.

"Well that took an unreasonable amount of time for an exam, you were back in an hour and a half from the first round of the Chunin Exams so why did this one take so long" Kizashi frowned concerned that the two kids had been put through more than a written exam.

Sakura sighed "Just a lot of questions Dad, that's all really and it was different than the Chunin Exams, only nine people were there for it, us two and seven others, I think I was the only girl to" the pinkette creased her brow trying to remember.

It was hard because all she'd been able to concentrate on is that bloody test "Yeah it was weird to, with strange and unusual questions, but like I said we won't know if we passed until tomorrow, we have to go back then to find out" the raven haired preteen plopped down on a couch.

Coincidentally right next to his brother who smiled in amusement "Either way I'm sure you two did just fine, tests were always your forte's after all" Itachi pointed out gently, really knowing how to boost confidence in someone and teach them that they could do it.

Kizashi chuckled at that and nodded in agreement while Sakura smiled and joined Naruto at the low table, pulling out her list of hospital rules and regulations to finally finish after three weeks, Tsunade thankfully hadn't pressured her into finishing it sooner.

So she was all to happy to send it off with Mibojin when she did get done with it to Shizune and Ittei at the hospital, with a copy going to her Shishou at the Hokage Tower "What was that all about Sakura-chan" Shisui asked curiously.

"Oh uh Tsunade-shishou requested I make a list of new rules and regulations for the hospital, due to what's been going on I only just got it done, so sent it off to be reviewed and hopefully implemented" Sakura explained, looking unburdened for the moment.

Just then a knock erupted on the door, Naruto popped up to go answer it "Sakura-chan it's for you" Naruto poked his head through the living room doorway, pointing at the door, Sakura spread out her senses and felt nothing but stood anyway to go see who it was.

"Morning brat, had a little free time so I thought we could have a training session" Tsunade greeted with a smirk, Sakura met that smirk with a resigned smile as she turned and hurriedly strapped some of her weapons pouches and her medical pouch onto her body.

When she was done she followed Tsunade from the house to the training grounds they'd used before "Right let me see how far you've come on your medical ninjutsu so I can figure out what else you need to be taught to improve first" the honey eyed woman demanded.

Plopping down a fish before her apprentice "Got it Shishou" the pinkette saluted, pulling a kunai from her pouch to basically gut the fish in front of her, then make a hand sign until her hands were glowing a bright green, filled with exactly the right amount of chakra.

To which she pressed to the now injured fish to heal it, sharp honey eyes watching her every little move as she healed "Very good brat, I admit I'm impressed, you've only been a fully qualified medic for about four months now and training for about seven right" Tsunade questioned.

As the bright glow faded from Sakura's hands to reveal a completely healed fish, in fact it seemed even better now as weird as it sounded "That's right Tsunade-shishou, Sasuke's been training for only five and a half months since he started a month and a half after me" Sakura nodded.

Looking to her hands which were rough from use and harsh treatment, Tsunade smiled watching fire burn in her eyes determinedly oh yes this girl was practically the embodiment of the will of fire they prided themselves on, her heart was in the right place and she fought for her loved ones.

"Not bad for an Uchiha, listen brat, Sakura, you can't stop people from badmouthing the Uchiha's, they have to regain their honor themselves through hard work without giving up, now practice summoning Katsuyu" the honey eyed blonde ordered.

Sakura flashed through a set of hand signs, bit her thumb and concentrated fully on which summon of her's she wanted to bring out "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" the rosette placed her hand on the ground and watched with interest as a patchwork of seals spread out before her.

Followed by a poof of smoke which dissipated to reveal a miniature version of Katsuyu "Well I see someone's been practicing, keep practicing and eventually you won't have to concentrate so hard" Tsunade instructed with a smile of amusement.

"I promise I won't let you down Tsunade-shishou" Sakura vowed bright and full of life as she dismissed the summons, then practiced the summoning jutsu over and over until her thumb was red and raw with her chakra reserves dwindling.

It was more than just concentration to it seemed and she knew she would have to find a way to use less chakra "Moving on brat….let's see you dodge me this time" her mentor called it on her summoning jutsu training and lunged.

Barely giving her apprentice a chance to scramble up and out of the way, ducking under the powerful swing of her arm, any second later and she was sure she would have been sent flying "Holy crap Shishou your gonna kill me" the fuscia haired teen, teased.

Earning a roll of honey eyes, by the end of their two hour training session, she was covered in a myriad of bruises and cuts, maybe a concussion and a broken bone or two "Perhaps I went a little overboard" Tsunade mused as she watched her apprentice flop lifelessly to the ground.

Knocked out from the beating she'd given her, she could be nice this one time and heal the brat, who in the future would definitely give her a run for her money "Can I go home yet Shishou" Sakura was surprisingly still awake when she approached.

"Let me heal you first Sakura then you can" the blonde woman barked out a laugh, seemed little Sakura was quite resilient to pain as she knelt and began healing the damage she'd dealt to her apprentice until every last bruise, cut or broken bone was healed, the concussion to.

When she was done Sakura stood on slightly shaky legs "Thanks for the training session Tsunade-shishou, oh what did you think about the list I sent you with Mibojin" the pinkette perked up interested to hear what the woman had thought.

It took her a moment to understand what the brat was saying "Nearly forgot that I set you the task of coming up with new rules and regulations for the hospital, I haven't had a chance to review it yet" Tsunade admitted with a little shrug of her shoulders.

"Ah I see, just let me know if you want me to change some things on it, anyway heading home now" Sakura waved lightly, marching from their training grounds and back to home where her parents, the last remaining Uchiha's and Naruto were waiting for her.

Even Itachi was slightly horrified at her appearance "What did Tsunade-sama do to you" his eyes were slightly widened in shock, as he looked over the young girl who'd saved them technically in a way she had if she hadn't gotten interested in outing Danzo.

"A little of this a little of that, evasion training, sadly my evasion skills are lacking more than I thought, Shishou healed me though so don't worry Itachi-san, Shisui-ni" the rosette plopped down, not even bothering to take a shower right now, waving off their concerns at the same time.

Sasuke snorted "You should have seen her after the first training session, she looked like Lady Hokage had tried to turn her into a human pincushion, she even called me Sasuke-chan that's how tired she was" the raven haired preteen grunted.

Naruto dissolved into obnoxious laughter at that, with Kizashi throwing in a few chuckles and Mebuki giggling to his disgruntlement "Poor Sasuke how can I ever apologize" Sakura even laughed which was worse than everyone else.

Causing his cheeks to flare with heat and become red in embarrassment "You know Sakura-san I've been wondering ever since that time, how did you overcome the trauma of that jutsu" the Uchiha heir cut through the laughter with a very serious question.

She went silent and even a little pale "It wasn't easy..those nightmares were awful, but I had Naruto, Jiraiya-sama to even, they lifted my spirits every day, I couldn't fail in finding Tsunade-shishou not when Lord Third asked us to, so had to remain strong" the pinkette answered.

Shisui blew out a breath "Pervy Sage didn't even want Sakura-chan on the mission you know, he was against it until that moment, when he realized that nothing he said would keep Sakura-chan from continuing on with the mission" Naruto piped in.

Remembering how his own Sannin sensei had acted at first "Speaking of genjutsu's, do you have enough chakra to perform your genjutsu Sakura-chan" Shisui spoke up curious about what would make even a Cloud Shinobi cringe and reflexively release her genjutsu.

There was a glint in her eyes as she checked her chakra reserves before nodding "Just remember Shisui-ni you did ask for this, let's go out back though" Sakura reminded gesturing at the backdoor to their now expansive backyard.

He was the first one out the door, followed by Itachi who was interested himself, Sakura took a deep breath and followed the duo into the backyard "Okay Sakura-san let us have it" Itachi gave a kind encouraging smile.

With a nod Sakura flashed through a set of hand signs, then there was a flurry of cherry blossoms that surrounded them emanating a sweet smell "Huh that's so like Sakura-chan I guess" Shisui laughed not seeing anything out of the norm.

Yet that was the question as he frowned "Uh nothing happened" the Uchiha sulked heading for the door or at least he tried but found his feet glued to the ground when he looked down it was less glue and more tendrils of long flowing pink hair.

And when he looked behind him there stood Sakura "Why Shisui-ni, how could you abandon me like that" this Sakura had tears in her eyes, he felt his heart jerk and guilt fill him for all the terrible things that had happened since he'd been gone.

"You gotta understand Sakura-chan that if I'd known things would turn out like that I would have never left" Shisui pleaded forgetting all about how this was actually a genjutsu, inwardly he was thinking more along the lines that this was the only way she could speak her mind.

It certainly seemed that way after all "No you still would have left and you know it Shisui-ni for that I can never forgive you" the genjutsu rosette hissed, fuscia locks snaking forward to wrap around him and lift him high into the air.

Before yanking him down with all her strength, he squeezed his eyes shut waiting for impact only to hear a splash as he was submerged in liquid, it burned and ate at his clothes and skin until he realized that it was flesh eating acid much like what Katsuyu could produce.

Still forgetting how this was all just a genjutsu somehow as he was pulled up "Please Sakura-chan, please I'm sorry, I'm sorry I didn't want any of what happened to happen" the raven haired man begged feeling as if he was about to pass out from the pain.

Sakura wouldn't hear of it now instead plunging him deep within the acid again for longer this time and when he was pulled up, he found himself facing his best friend "Always doing everything on your own" Itachi shook his head in disappointment.

"If you'd waiting, we could have brought Danzo down together, the clan wouldn't have had to die, we could have worked towards peace, but instead I had to murder my own parents, betray my little brother and in the end leave taking down Danzo up to children" the Uchiha heir continued.

"For that Shisui I can't forgive you either, you're a disgrace to the remains of the great Uchiha Clan" Itachi seemed to set his jaw in determination, closing his eyes and then when they opened awakened his mangekyou sharingan power black flames enveloped him.

In that moment it really felt like he was burning alive in the inextinguishable flames before he found himself flat on his back Sakura hovering over him worriedly "There you are Shisui-ni, are you alright" Sakura was frowning deeply.

He felt like an idiot "Y..You mean that really was all just a genjutsu" Shisui asked nervously, gaze flitting around warily just in case, throat strangely sore until he realized that he must have been screaming during that moment he really thought he was dying as the black flames ate him alive.

Sakura nodded lips pressed into a thin line "Of course I did warn you Shisui-ni remember, everything that happened was only in your mind" the pinkette reminded in an exasperated tone, everyone seemed to forget it was a genjutsu once it got past a certain point.

"M..Man that illusions really potent I thought I was, you were, guess that Cloud Shinobi had it right nightmare based indeed" the twenty year old hung his head, all of his nightmares had been brought forth by the illusion so he couldn't really blame Sakura at all.

It was his fault for wanting her to put him in it "Darui-san, but yes, and he went through it several times while I was creating it" Sakura let a smile curl her lips in amusement, focusing healing chakra into her hands to heal Shisui's sore throat and his fatigue from the illusion.

"Can I ask what prompted the genjutsu in the first place" Itachi cleared his throat, also having gone through the nightmarish illusion, he seemed in better condition to Shisui's frustration, was it only him that had got it bad.

The thirteen year old craned her neck "Initially it was a way to get around my final round opponent during the Chunin Exams, but Shibi-sensei actually got me a decent sensei for the month long training period and I got really interested in illusions" the fuscia haired teen grinned.

"Like you weren't already Sakura-chan, reading about such things when you were an itty bitty five year old if I recall" Shisui laughed suddenly while Itachi grimaced lightly as the three of them headed back in to find lunch ready, followed by the rest of the day passing at a fast pace.

And then Sasuke and Sakura were off the following morning to find out what their test results on the exam were "Only seven of you passed" was the first thing out of the principle's mouth when they sat down with the others, indeed two of the exam takers were missing as Sakura looked around.

"One of them attempted to cheat on the exam and the last, he failed because one of his answers weren't to our liking, we take our jobs as sensei quite seriously you know" the man continued, explaining why three of the exam takers had failed.

"Congratulations to the rest of you though, you'll be moving on to the second part of the instructors exam, in two days time I want detailed lesson plans on my desk at the academy of your strong suits, as you no doubt know the academy will soon be adding new classes we need to know if you lot can hack it, now get to work" the principle finished.

Dismissing them all in the same breath "Come on Sasuke let's go get started on our lesson plans" Sakura popped up with a grin, excited and eager to try her hand at creating a lesson plan that would hopefully help students improve their academics and whatnot.

Sasuke shook his head in amusement "This is going to be interesting you know" Sasuke commented already thinking about the kinds of things he could teach kids probably as they made the trek home and gracefully sat at the low living room table to work on their task.

Everyone else seemingly gone, probably on missions or working at their stall in the case of the older Haruno's "Did you pass Sasuke-otouto, Sakura-san" Itachi was the first to wander into the house an hour or so later when they were still focused intently on their lesson plans.

"Huh oh yeah we passed the first round, the next is detailed lesson plans, we have to have them in two days from now, the exam is very cut throat though more so than the Chunin Exams if I do say so myself" the rosette smiled brightly.

His little brother nodding along "Quite, the principle is actually the exam proctor which is the biggest shocker and he doesn't take any crap from anyone" the youngest Uchiha shuddered lightly then focused his full attention on the sheaf of papers before him.

Already full up with a multitude of things that were to his strong suits, taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, elemental ninjutsu, Itachi chuckled under his breath at their antics, pleased that even after what happened their friendship was still as strong as ever.

Of course he'd known that Sakura could never hate his little brother no matter what the brat might say sometimes "Don't let me get in your way then otouto, Sakura-san" the Uchiha heir bowed his head and found a book to read for the time being.

Until the more rowdier duo of the house returned "Just got back from talking to Baa-chan, she says that in a week she'll begin negotiations with the elders and academy principle and sensei's to implement all the changes we suggested" Naruto burst into the house with a rush of excitement in his steps.

Finding his two best friends already home, suspicious he narrowed his eyes until he realized they weren't exuding any sort of depression from their person's "You passed that's great Sakura-chan, Sasuke" the blonde clapped flashing them a whiskered grin of happiness.

Proud of their accomplishment "First round knucklehead, there's more apparently and a lot more unforgiving than the Chunin Exams" Sakura returned his smile with one of her own as he joined them at the low living room table.

Grabbing his fuinjutsu books to work on that for awhile "We're on the second which is lesson plans, they want to test us on if we're able to create lesson plans though I don't really understand why" Sasuke frowned probably wondering still yet unable to figure it out.

"Well either way I'm sure you two will do fine, after all you two are the studious ones of our class more so than Shikamaru or Hinata-chan" Naruto shrugged, scratching down an idea for a new seal formula to test out later.

Before they knew it the two days they'd been allotted were up, instead of walking Sasuke and Sakura body flickered to the academy, it was hard to believe that even after they graduated, the academy was still a focal point for them with the written round of the Chunin Exams.

And now for their instructor's exam "Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan what are you two doing here" Iruka caught them on their way into the building, having been cleaning up the academy training grounds now that his afternoon taijutsu class was over for the day.

"Handing in our detailed lesson plans for the second round of the academy sensei exam Iruka-sensei, we decided to become sensei just like you at least part-time anyway" the pinkette announced shocking him because he hadn't thought this was how their lives would turn out.

Or that this was the kind of path they would take "Don't be to shocked we've been planning this for over a month and a half now I thought you would have heard the rumors" his former second best student teased lightly and Iruka shook his head with a sigh.

"Go on now you two don't want to make the principle wait for those, he's gets a little tyrannical when your late in turning them in" the brunet chunin shooed his former star pupils off, proud to see them branching out and living their lives to the fullest.

A couple minutes later they were stood in the principles office for the second time in a month and a half "Five that is all that's left of you I see, one couldn't hack it and resigned from the exam and the second is late, good you know promptness" the principle nodded in acceptance.

Relieved that at least some of the participants had a good head on their shoulders "But it's time for the finals, each of you will go through a trial based period of three days, the trial you'll undergo is based on how you answered the questions of your written exam" he cleared his throat.

Catching their attention again "Sakura Haruno based on your written you're trial is putting you in charge of a small class of advanced students in their last year of the academy, you have three days to straighten them out and get them to learn at least one thing, that will be useful to them as genin" he set his sights on the lone girl.

Announcing her name first, before handing her a vanilla folder stuffed full with papers "I expect you to have memorized each of your students names, and be able to explain in great detail one thing each student is good at ability wise" the principle finished.

Shoving a piece of paper at her that had the room number of her class of students on it "Sasuke Uchiha, based on your written, your trial has you with some juniors that don't take their taijutsu seriously" next was Sasuke.

Who inwardly gulped at the scrutinizing stare "By the end of three days, I want them to at least understand more than just the basics of kata's and taijutsu form, they need to be able to spar, you need to learn and memorize all of their names and explain in great detail how they've improved" the principle ordered.

Then Sasuke was shoved out of the room and he made his way to the academy training grounds to meet his students like Sakura had already been sent off to do, this was nerve-wracking because they were only a couple years or less older than the older academy students but he squared his shoulders and marched forth.

~Meanwhile~

Sakura had basically done the same thing, squared her shoulders and marched confidently into the classroom full of senior academy students, there were five in all, the advanced class was dwindling down to nothing it seemed during the time she'd graduated.

"Who the hell are you pink haired freak and where's our sensei" one eleven year old demanded and her eye twitched but she calmly shut the door and stalked towards the teachers podium until she was stood behind it.

Peering out over the class "For the next three days I am your sensei, Sakura Haruno and I expect you to address me with respect Miharu-kun, despite that it seems like I'm around your age, I am in fact a Chunin Rank Shinobi so no more mouthing off or you'll be doing punishment homework" she narrowed her green eyes on the boy.

Immediately whispers broke out among the five eleven year old's before her "Quiet, I am here on a three day trial based period to teach you five one thing that will be useful to you even as genin, I've decided that one thing will be chakra control" Sakura clapped.

Effectively silencing the eleven year old's "Chakra control, how is that going to be useful Sakura-sensei" another boy, who was three times more polite than Miharu it seemed and she made a note to thank him after class.

Despite how it seemed she was really nervous about all of this "Well Atama-kun, you use chakra for your jutsu's right, what happens if you don't have good control, the jutsu doesn't turn out right does it, with better chakra control, your jutsu's will become more effective" the rosette explained.

Awing her trial students with her seemingly infinite knowledge "Okay, okay but how do you do that" one of the two only girls in the class huffed upset that her cute and handsome male sensei had been replaced with this weird girl with pink hair who was nearly the same age as them.

"First you'll practice chakra control exercises, Atama, Miharu, Chisana, Majika, Kido line up before me and we'll get started" Sakura instructed, hopefully they'd be willing to put up with her for now since she was only just getting started.

Instantly the five eleven year old's were stood in front of her, good at least they understood the importance of following directions, it would help them when they became genin "And now I want you to practice sticking a leaf to any part of your body" the pinkette commanded.

A couple of them looked reluctant until they actually tried the exercise and found it more difficult than sticking a leaf to their thumb, having it stick to a part of their body was hard, as their chakra responded sluggishly and the leaves refused to stick.

"While your practicing, how about you tell me about yourselves, things your good at that kind of stuff" Sakura inquired knowing it help would if they learned how to split their concentration otherwise they'd be continuously caught off guard.

The other girl perked up, Majika if she remembered "I love genjutsu, Kido-kun likes constructing \different types of poisons, he's quiet and probably won't talk to you though" Majika brightened before frowning as she shot a concerned look at the third male student.

"Given time I'm sure Kido-kun would talk to me, for now I won't pressure, just practice, then once you master this exercise we'll move on to another" the fuscia haired teen cleared her throat, glad that she'd managed to get one of her students talking.

Even managing to learn what two of them were good at ability wise or rather what they liked "This is stupid" Chisana grumbled, as she failed to yet again execute the exercise they'd been set "Chakra control is stupid to, why do we have to learn this we're gonna be genin anyway" she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Viridian irises narrowed on her and she felt her heart stop "With a better understanding of chakra control it lets you do all kinds of things, genjutsu, ninjutsu, even taijutsu, channeling chakra into your attacks, water-walking, tree-walking" Sakura began a lecture.

"Everything requires chakra though, some more delicate than others, let's say your facing down an enemy Chisana-chan, and your chakra control is below standard, the jutsu you use will be less than effective and will probably even get you killed" the pinkette continued.

"By practicing chakra control, even the biggest jutsu's could require less and less chakra, just a tiny sliver of chakra could help you cast the most nightmarish of genjutsu's, helping you survive, as genin you don't know the kinds of missions you'll go on" Sakura took a deep breath.

"Some of them might even be life-threatening which requires you to fight for your lives, don't say chakra control is stupid it could be a matter of life and death knowing how to use your chakra efficiently in a fight" the rosette concluded.

A stern frown on her lips, Chisana nodded her head eagerly not wanting to experience that kind of lecture ever again probably, which kept the other four almost preteen's in line as well as they continued with their chakra control exercise.

An hour or so later the kids were coming along nicely "Alright you five, my time is up, you'll have your regular sensei for the rest of the time, my homework for you is to write an essay on the things you like and can do, and to keep practicing your exercise" Sakura called, ending their practice.

They all nodded at their strange homework as their very young sensei scurried off, on her way out she met up with Sasuke who looked like hell "How is it you look okay, I thought your trial students were supposed to be advanced and unruly" Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicious.

"Contradiction Sasuke, at first glance they seem unruly, disorganized, loud and bratty, but get below that surface, and you'll find why their in the advanced class" the pinkette calmly informed, feeling good about how her first class had went.

Sasuke creased his brow in confusion "Just how many students do you have" the Uchiha questioned, feeling as if he got the short end of the stick with five junior students, who didn't listen to a word he said no matter what he said.

"Five most likely the same as you Sasuke, how did it go for you" Sakura inquired curiously, though she could probably guess that his first run didn't go so well and that's why he looked like he'd try to tear his hair out in frustration.

His shoulders slumped "They wouldn't listen to me at all and I got nothing concrete out of them" Sasuke sighed, realizing in that moment he might not be able to hack it as a part-time academy sensei, Sakura was more suited after all.

She shook her head "Be firm with them Sasuke, don't be a doormat, and if you want to get them interested show off a little, taijutsu is one of your specialties" the fuscia haired teen reminded gently as they finally got home.

And he wanted to slap himself for being an idiot "Right I'll do that" the ebony haired preteen vowed already thinking up ways that would get his students listening to his every word, like how Iruka could enrapture them in a lecture.

The next day as they showed up at the academy for their trial, he did just as suggested, the moment his feet hit the training grounds and he spotted his five students slacking off yet again, he launched into a complicated maneuver and nearly broke the pole.

Gasps could be heard as he turned to face the five 9 year old's "Take your taijutsu lessons seriously and someday you might be able to do that" Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall, reminding himself to not be a doormat and to be firm.

Immediately the 9 year old's gathered around him eyes wide in awe and interest, excitement oozing from their very beings and he set to teaching them the proper forms of taijutsu that aren't taught in the academy while Sakura made her way to her own students.

Upon arriving she heard laughter coming from within the room and sighed, pulling open the sliding door, immediately the laughter faded as Miharu, Atama, Kido, Chisana and Majika fell silent and faced forward then Chisana stood.

"All rise, Good Afternoon Sakura-sensei, we're looking forward to learning under you, bow, and seat yourselves" the little blonde girl who'd given her lip commanded obviously having had a change of heart since the day before.

Immediately Kido's hand shot into the air "We finished our homework to, do you want us to hand it in" the quiet boy who hadn't spoken a single word, yesterday asked when she nodded at him to go ahead and speak.

She was so proud of him "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to talk to me Kido-kun and yes, then while I'm looking over your essays, I want you to practice the leaf sticking exercise and a very good morning to you five as well" Sakura smiled fondly.

Quite attached already as they lined up before the podium that she was sitting behind to turn in their essays, then they got started on their exercise, Sakura watched with keen eyes as their chakra responded a lot more smoothly, allowing them to perform the task easier.

And as soon as she was done reviewing their essays, nitpicking through each one, she set them to the side "Okay, looks like you've completed the first exercise, so time for the next, encasing your hand in water, and if you want you can expand on the exercise later" the pinkette stood.

Placing down six glasses of water, demonstrating to their fascination as water covered her whole hand just from chakra "We'll do it Sakura-sensei" Atama grinned the first to try as he focused chakra into his hand and stuck his hand into the glass.

When he pulled away only a little followed him so he tried again and again, Sakura-sensei just watching them with knowing eyes until it was time for her to leave them again "I did better today" Sasuke exclaimed when they met up at the entrance of the academy.

"Me to, I've successfully completed part of my task, memorized all their names and found out one thing they each can do ability wise, you might have a student interested in learning and crafting poisons under you if this all ends well" Sakura admitted.

Sasuke perked up with interest but she remained tight-lipped "All be Sasuke-chan is actually doing pretty well at being a sensei huh Itachi-chan" Shisui sniggered having been spying on his baby cousin the entire time.

"Indeed Shisui-san, but lets not tease him alright" Itachi chuckled amused, yet proud, his little brother had hardly changed and he was glad of that fact as he and Shisui discreetly followed Sasuke and Sakura home.

Where the lot of them met up inside to mess about for the rest of the day and the next one signaled the end of Sasuke and Sakura's trial based period "Today's the last day I have with you" the fuscia haired teen explained, hoping that they'd managed to master what she'd taught them yesterday.

"Aww do you have to go Sakura-sensei, our other sensei isn't nearly as cool as you" Miharu pouted looking a little down in the dumps, but with a quick smile flashed in his direction, he was perked right back up to her inward amusement.

"Unfortunately, but if all goes well I might be back to teach you lot many more interesting things than just chakra control, so I want you all to line up in front of me again, and practice encasing your hand in water, if you have that down I'll teach you another exercise that I want down before tomorrow when your reviewed" Sakura clapped.

The five eleven year old's scrambled to do as she bid as glasses of water appeared before them and fifteen minutes later it was easy to see that they understood the exercise quite well "Can we learn something new now Sakura-sensei" Chisana pleaded hopefully.

"Of course, of course Chisana-chan, this is probably the most difficult of chakra control exercises to practice until you become genin, but it will definitely help, learning the right amount to perform ninja tasks like tree-walking or water-walking" the pinkette began.

Knowing that this was going to blow their little minds probably "To practice this exercise, you'll be basically using your chakra to glue these plates together, word of warning, to little and it won't stick and to much it will cause a tiny explosion, these plates must be in good condition when your done" she warned.

Handing over five bags of a single broken plate of various broken pieces to really challenge those that she knew had good chakra control "Got it Sakura-sensei" Majika nodded as she pumped her arms to pump herself up for the exercise.

As the five of them returned to their seats to work on their tasks, sweat beading on their brows as they worked hard until their time was up "What do you think Sakura-sensei, did we do good" Kido was the first to show off the plate.

Completely fixed without a crack, or scorch mark and she patted him gently on the head, followed by the others, each of them had really taken to heart her words of being careful "You were right Sakura-sensei, chakra control is amazing, so I apologize for what I said on our first day" Chisana apologized when she was on her way out the door.

"Don't worry about it Chisana-chan, you learned that's whats important, keep practicing and when it's time for you to graduate, carve your own paths as genin of the Hidden Leaf Village" Sakura smiled brightly for the kids then shut the door to their disappointment.

And the next day they were called in to be reviewed, Sakura as expected she would went first, going into great detail about what she'd taught her five students and what she'd learned in turn, calling them each by name in a fond sounding tone of voice.

The principle nodded and scribbled some things down, making Sasuke go next since they were the youngest exam takers until each of them had been reviewed, along with their students "Alright out of the seven of you that remain, only four of you pass" the principle announced.

Eight minutes later "Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, … you four are the ones who have passed, congratulations, you all start in four months at the new term when new six year old's are signed up to attend the academy" the principle finished.

Dismissing them, both Sasuke and Sakura shared a triumphant smile with one another and went out to celebrate their victory of passing the instructor's exam and the next day they were pulled into a meeting to discuss the overhaul the academy curriculum would be getting.

Which would start at the beginning of new term, and then at last it was Tsunade's Hokage Inauguration day "Welcome all to the official succession ceremony, Tsunade Senju please step forward" Hiruzen came out to do one last thing for the people of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Tsunade did as commanded, wearing the official Kage robes for once, to her utter disdain, her honey orbs peered out over those that had gathered and she immediately spotted her brat apprentice stood with those she called family.

"Do you Tsunade vow to put your life on the line for your village and country as the Hokage" the Third questioned finishing his duties by seeing this one last thing through to the end so he could spend the rest of his life happy and peaceful in retirement.

His old student nodded "I vow it, this village I will protect until my dying breath" Tsunade vowed and the questions continued on like that until Hiruzen bowed his head and took a deep breath before stepping closer to the edge of the roof of the Hokage Tower.

"With her promises and vows, I now present to you the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju" Hiruzen raised his arm and gestured to Tsunade, the entire population of the village erupted into roars of cheers and applause.

Thus the inauguration ceremony came to a swift end "Go on Sakura-chan, don't want to be late to Yugao-san's wedding do you" Naruto ushered Sakura off, Sakura who was wearing the prettiest green kimono, he'd ever seen for the wedding she'd been invited to participate in.

Yugao and Hayate were very pleased to see her as they'd only arrived on top of the mountain themselves a couple minutes before hand "Sakura-san thank you for coming" Hayate coughed not having been as worried as his about to be wife.

"I wouldn't miss your wedding Hayate-sensei, plus Yugao-san asked me to be the flower girl remember, I take things seriously" Sakura grinned wide to his amusement, getting in a quick hug with the bride to be.

"Lovely kimono by the way Sakura-san, it's perfect" Yugao couldn't stop herself from commenting on the kimono that the young girl was wearing, it looked beautiful on her if she did say so herself.

Sakura blushed lightly "Shino-kun was actually the one who picked it out oddly enough, he knew I was going to be in your wedding Yugao-san, and said he saw it in a window display and decided it would be perfect cause he remembered you said green" the rosette admitted.

Face beet red now to the adults amusement as the wedding finally got started and a couple hours later it was all over as Yugao was officially known Yugao Gekkou, even crying tears of happiness that she got to marry the man she loved.

She left them to set off on their honeymoon wherever it may be and hurried home "How was the wedding" Sasuke questioned when she disappeared and reappeared several minutes later wearing much more relaxed clothing.

"Beautiful, Yugao-san was beautiful and I swore Hayate-sensei had tears in his eyes, though he wouldn't admit it, but now their off on their honeymoon, I hope they live long happy lives" Sakura smiled softly, probably dreaming of her own wedding.

As they went through the rest of the day doing odd or random things to entertain themselves since they had nothing really pressing to do, until Mebuki told them all sternly to go to bed and stop making a racket in the living room


	32. Kabuto's Ploy, Team Eight is in Danger

Just when Tsunade as official Hokage now was getting ready to send her student and a team of medics that Sakura would hand pick herself to Mist, a mission went amiss two weeks after her inauguration "As you know I sent Kakashi with his students to Cloud" Tsunade began.

"Yeah about four days ago, why, has something happened Hokage-sama" Shikamaru questioned, having also been called into the office with two other Chunin and one genin, he didn't like where this was going either the way the newly inaugurated Hokage was behaving right now.

Tsunade blew out a breath "They never made it to Hidden Cloud, when Ay sent some of his shinobi to investigate they found the remains of a battle, as of right now Kakashi Hatake and his students Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga are missing" the blonde announced.

Sakura gripped her teammates hands as dread washed over her "Calm down Sakura I'm sure their okay" Sasuke was holding her hand just as tightly as she was holding his, he cared about that knucklehead to and to find this out was a blow to the system.

"Are you assigning us the mission to find them, why because it seems most likely since the four of us were called in" Shino narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses, kikaichu buzzing at his mood, with a mix of worry and fear.

Glad they were making this easy on her Tsunade nodded "I am, Sakura your mission leader, Shikamaru's on strategy, Sasuke's on healing, Shino is on tracking understand, you have thirty minutes to pack and move out, the mission is B Rank" Tsunade barked.

"Roger that Tsunade-shishou, we'll bring them back no matter what we have to do" Sakura bowed low before her mentor, eyes burning bright with determination as she gripped Sasuke's hand and in a swirl of cherry blossoms the both of them were back home.

Flying up the stairs the moment their sandal encased feet touched carpet to pack the quickest they'd ever packed and in ten minutes flat they were ready to go, latching onto each others hands again to body flicker to the gates of the village.

Only to sign out as they found their other mission companions waiting for them "Let's move out then, you heard Lady Tsunade, Shino use your kikaichu to pick on Naruto's scent, Sasuke track his chakra trail if you can and as far as you can as well, we have to hurry" the rosette ordered.

Already dishing out a couple of orders "Don't worry about strategy Sakura, I've got a ton of plans ready to use at your command" the Nara Heir assured, wary at best, this was such a serious mission after all and he'd never had Shino, Sakura or Sasuke as his mission partners before.

"My kikaichu has Kiba's scent, it's the strongest for some reason" the brunet heir on the mission announced five minutes after they set forth from the village sending his kikaichu ahead to lead the way, and hoping that it hadn't rained recently.

Sasuke was the next to pick up on one of the missing's chakra trail "Got Hinata's chakra trail, straight path for Lightning Country, we'll see where it goes once we get near Cloud" the preteen Uchiha called deactivating his Sharingan.

With that the four of them ran at full speed, through tree's and over land, pushing themselves past their normal limits "If we keep going like this Sakura, we're going to end up injuring ourselves" Sasuke warned when he nearly slipped from a branch again.

"We'll take a fifteen minute breather, relieve ourselves or snack on trail mix in the meantime" Sakura came to a jarring stop, focusing her chakra into her feet in the nick of time to keep herself from plummeting to the earth.

Followed by the others who came to a much smoother stop than she had "Kami your like some kind of drill sergeant, to troublesome" Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his sore calf muscles, and they'd only been running for an hour and a half so far.

Sasuke grimaced and let his hands glow green to heal Shikamaru's sore muscles "Seems like someone's improved on their medical ninjutsu" Shino commented, seeing the much brighter glow than usual and Sasuke stood back with a small smile.

Before it faded into a worried frown, they snacked on trail mix like suggested or went if they had to and fifteen minutes later they were launching themselves through tree's at a break-neck pace again until the forest ended and the four of them had no choice but to run across land.

A few more fifteen minute breaks later, Team Seven with a member of Team Ten reached the border of Tea Country "Set up camp, Sasuke will build the fire, Shikamaru you stay here with him, keep an eye out for trouble, Shino with me, we're going hunting" the pinkette commanded.

"Yeesh I don't know how you handle her Sasuke and how can I keep an eye out for trouble or even inform her that trouble has hit when….oh that's right she has spider summons" the Nara heir groaned remembering the invasion during the Chunin Exams.

How Sakura had planted a spider on all of them "Not just spiders, but Slugs to remember, she can summon them with little effort now and you wonder why she's like that, it's because of Lady Hokage, their training sessions are like hell" the ebony haired preteen shuddered.

Activating his sharingan to peer cautiously around for any chakra signatures that he didn't know, a couple minutes later he concluded his search and deactivated his dojutsu to get started on digging out the fire pit for whatever Sakura and Shino brought back.

Not more than twenty minutes later the betrothed couple were back, Sakura carrying a string of fish on her back and two buckets of water in her hands, while Shino had a stack of sticks, and a bucket of herbs in his arms.

"Couldn't find any other types of animals so fish it is" the Aburame heir explained with a grimace, he wasn't very fond of fish really but right now he couldn't be picky as he handed over the sticks and Sasuke set them up before lighting it on fire.

While Sakura gutted the fish, scaled and deboned them before grinding up the herbs he'd gathered and slathering it onto their evening meal, then speared and set the fish up over the fire to cook "I hope their alright wherever they are" Sasuke sighed.

Staring up at the sky as they waited for their meal to finish cooking "Me to Sasuke, we have to have hope until the last minute" Sakura reminded and Shikamaru saw through her tough countenance, she was worried, but she covered it up by acting as a proper mission leader should.

"We'll find them, why because two of us here are meant for tracking, we'll get them back to, why because together we're strong" Shino took a seat right next to his girlfriend and clasped her hand in his the whole of Team Seven lifting each others spirits.

"Hey guys foods done, let's eat and then go to bed alright" Shikamaru cleared his throat about eleven minutes later when the members of Team Seven remained quiet, staring up at the stars silently to keep themselves strong.

They turned at his call though and snatched two sticks of fish each, hurriedly eating but taking care they didn't make themselves sick before crawling into their sleeping bags after setting up a myriad of traps to ward off enemies, rogue ninja, bandits and foreign ninja alike.

Morning came swiftly for them as they ate a cold meal of bean burrito's, then cleaned up after themselves to make sure no one could figure out they'd been there in the first place and once their packs were situated on their backs they crossed the border into Tea Country.

Running at full speed like the day before "What happens if the person who took them is a highly dangerous criminal and the mission turns A Rank or even S Rank on us" the Nara heir questioned when he felt he wouldn't run out of breath during one of their fifteen minute breaks.

"Then I'll send Katsuyu-sama back to Tsunade-shishou with a message requesting back up and we'll wait in Hidden Cloud for that back up to arrive" the fuscia haired thirteen year old announced seriously, munching on a tomato of all things.

One of the few things she had sealed in her food scroll in abundance "Man I just realized this is our first visit to another shinobi country and we can't even enjoy it because those guys are in trouble" the raven haired twelve year old grumbled.

Earning a light whack over the head from Sakura "I know your worried Sakura, why because I'm worried as well, just don't stress yourself out so much alright" the brunet heir at her side soothed carefully knowing how she felt about Naruto, Kiba and Hinata, even Kakashi.

They were family to her and after going almost four years without one of her major family members, she didn't want to lose anyone ever again, Sakura took a deep breath and polished off her tomato, then had them get moving again.

Crossing the border into Lightning Country at almost 1700 hours "Didn't think Tsunade would send you brats" Ay, the Raikage met them an hour later, near the battle sight where Team Eight and it's sensei had gone missing.

"Probably for the best to, we had a strange occurrence happen, come with me and I'll show you" the Raikage barked, leading them forward now and Sakura just stood back, following his direction to Shikamaru's confusion, of course he knew who the guy was.

But he didn't understand why Sakura was just letting him take the lead like he was since she was mission leader "See and we don't know quite what to do with him" Ay came to a screeching halt eight minutes later right on the edge of what looked to be the remains of a battlefield.

Claw marks were all over, blood splatters as well from who they didn't know, scorch marks from fire or lightning probably and even some craters from explosions, and in the center of the battlefield was a man with ocean blue eyes and blonde hair.

Sakura felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her at the sight of him "First Shino, Sasuke start searching for scent and chakra trails, Shikamaru with me" Sakura ordered taking the first step forward hesitantly then marching the rest of the way confidently towards the man.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Sakura what the hell are you doing" Shikamaru panicked the closer they got the more he could feel the chakra wafting from the unknown guy, Sakura shot him a look that told him to calm down or else.

He swallowed his pride and did just that "Excuse me would you happen to be Minato Namikaze-sama, the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, who died almost thirteen years ago" the rosette narrowed her eyes.

Launching into an interrogation, causing the man to snap his head in their direction "That would be me alright can I ask how you knew who I was, when it seems the mass majority of people have forgotten my reign as Hokage, even Ay at first forgot who I was" the man nodded.

Becoming slightly depressed at the thought he was being forgotten "Stone Face and I found your profile in an old bingo book, but regardless of that, we have no proof that your really the Fourth" Sakura pressed her lips into a thin line.

A couple feet behind her Ay snorted and Shikamaru's eyes rounded in horror because the freaking Raikage just laughed "True, true, however I can give you proof, Naruto's my son, and one of the few that knows he's a jinchuuriki" Minato smiled kindly.

Understanding their mistrust of him "Naruto's your son" Shikamaru gaped, feeling faint until Sakura pinched his side lightly in warning when she felt his attention was drifting away from the topic and situation at hand.

"Kami this is a nightmare to pick through to find a specific person's chakra trail, but I think I finally picked up on Naruto's, they were taken in that direction, also found this" Sasuke jogged up to them nine minutes later, ranting and raving.

Then announcing he'd picked up on one of the missing people's chakra trail, followed by a dark orange shuriken "I also have Naruto's scent, here it's strongest, while Kiba's indicated he was injured fairly badly if I had to say" Shino appeared in a cluster of kikaichu.

Sakura grit her teeth "Then we have to go double-time, who knows what condition their in, Raikage-sama we're going now" the pinkette bowed low at Ay, who nodded, then slanted a glance at two of his Shinobi who arrived.

"Darui, Cee you'll go with them, help rescue the blonde brat and the rest of his team" the Raikage barked at his usual bodyguards, while Minato, if it was really him anyway stood there confused at what was going on and torn between staying or going with them.

In the end he sped off after the group of six now "Let me help, I want to prove that I am who I say I am" the blonde called, emerald orbs met his ocean blue, full of acceptance at his request then they were leaping through tree's at a break-neck pace.

For hours they ran until their lungs and calf muscles burned from exhaustion late into the night, only then did they stop "Gonna send my Kikaichu ahead to scout, you should do the same with your spiders Sakura, their less noticeable than Slugs" the Aburame Heir suggested.

Holding out his arms and a swarm of kikaichu burst forth from his sleeves before scattering in all directions to scout on their hosts command "Nice thinking Shino" the fuscia haired teen nodded, biting her thumb flashing through a set of hand signs and slamming her hand on the ground.

To summon a bunch of little spiders before sending them off to scout "I think given how far we've traveled, we should be near to where Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata and Kiba are being held" the ebony haired preteen commented.

Activating his sharingan again to check the chakra trail he'd been tracking for the better part of the evening just to make sure "We should start coming up with a plan then" the Nara Heir announced as Sakura joined them around the makeshift campfire.

With the others as well "Looks like your still as close as ever to your teammates huh Kid" Darui chuckled lightly glad to see the kids doing well after it having been a long time since he'd seen them, the end of the Chunin Exams to be precise.

And if he recalled it was nearly time for a new one, Ay had already been sent an invitation to send some of the genin after all to participate "Yeah still betrothed and in a relationship right" Cee inquired eyeing their closeness to one another.

Earning a couple of silent nods "Betrothed, in a relationship, how could your parents be so cruel" Minato frowned deeply not liking what he was hearing, in fact the girl didn't even look like she was from any kind of clan so that was even crueler.

"Lord Fourth for them the act of their parent/parents putting them in a betrothal contract was not cruel, in fact it made those two weirdly happy" Sasuke snorted and Minato glanced at him, immediately honing in on the crest on the sleeve of his shirt.

The Uchiha clan was still thriving it seemed to his relief, though he didn't know how wrong he was "Yeah in fact they became a couple before the contract was ever even created" the dark skinned male off to the side snorted.

"Indeed and we better get invited to the wedding you hear" the onyx eyed blonde teased the couple mercilessly, and the duo blushed lightly in response, the seriousness of the mission keeping them from expressing their embarrassment in full.

While Sasuke snorted, he better be best man or he was going to hit Shino "Barring that, do you think we'll find them" Darui frowned deeply, worried that they might not find the missing team of shinobi, of one Jonin, one Chunin and two Genin.

Sakura's head snapped up "Of course we'll find them Darui-san, we have to cause it's Naruto-baka, Kakashi-sensei, Hinata-chan and reckless Kiba" Sakura vowed, eyes glistening with unshed tears to Minato's astonishment.

Not the others though because they knew how important friendships were to her, they weren't just friends they were family to and it would utterly break Sakura if they ended up not finding the quartet of shinobi who had their whole lives ahead of them still.

"Then we'll find them Sakura-san no matter what we have to do" Cee nodded seriously becoming his true self a one hundred percent bonafide sensor type shinobi, he stood and vanished off into the tree's, already using his sensory skills to locate any nearby chakra.

"You know Sakura, I've always wondered, how did you become so obsessed with the idea of everyone being like family just as the will of fire states" Shikamaru frowned still confused to this very day over his former classmates, now fellow Chunin's actions.

Her head turned in his direction "It was Shisui's fault you know, he told me one day back when I was six before academy ever started to see everyone as family since it was just me, my mom and dad back then and I wanted a sibling, kind of grabbed onto it like a lifeline" she grimaced sheepishly.

He should have known that would be her answer "Not that it's a problem, it's good your so dedicated to the people you care about and see as family" Shino pat her hand gently with a reassuring smile on his lips.

Viridian orbs softened "Right we should get some rest for tomorrow" Minato suggested carefully knowing that he wasn't really in charge nor really completely trusted either but he didn't want them to be exhausted for whatever the next day might bring.

Later on Cee crept back into camp and joined the others in sleep after setting up a few traps "I found their chakra last night on the very edge of my senses in that direction" the onyx eyed blonde admitted the following morning as they were finishing up breakfast.

Pointing in the direction they'd been heading "What else did you feel Cee-san, what were the enemy numbers like, and how did their chakra feel to you, was it fluctuating in any kind of pain" the rosette snapped to in an instant.

Thinking at a high speed rate, gears turning in her head so rapidly the others couldn't keep up for a moment, even Cee until he shook his head and forced himself to focus "Nine and yes all of them, though if I had to say one of them was in critical condition even" Cee explained.

Flinching when fury washed over them in waves until it was reigned in with a sharp breath "That means we have to move, now, who knows the kind of infections they'll get if their left like that" Sakura pounded her fist into her palm and stood.

Sharply turning on her heel and sprinting in the direction she knew some of her important people were "Fuck did she get faster or what" the dark skinned male cursed seeing how fast Sakura was actually going and she was still wearing weights.

"Lady Hokage took her on as her apprentice" Sasuke grimaced, that was all the answer Darui needed apparently as they sprinted after the lone girl, using chakra to keep up as best they could until they reached a clearing with what looked like an abandoned hotel.

And Cee was horrified to realize that in the time he'd last checked more enemies had appeared "What do you say about an area wide genjutsu of Sakura's specialty" Shino suggested with a smirk, feeling vindictive and cruel towards the people who'd hurt their precious people.

"But that runs the risk of capturing those four in it as well" Shikamaru the voice of reason reminded not sure it was the best idea, nor was it his first even if Shino had beaten him to the punch literally by making the first suggestion.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes "What if Shino sent some of his kikaichu with the teleportation seal that Sakura's been working on lately, then send Mibojin with a message through the seal to warn them that a genjutsu will be cast and to have them break it" the Uchiha offered.

Minato looked at the lone girl among them with surprise in his ocean blue eyes "You know that might just work and then while you lot go to retrieve the team, we'll help kid set up one of his barriers to keep them in" Darui smirked.

Plan forming without any argument between them or outrageous suggestions "Let's get to this then" Minato cleared his throat, itching to rescue his son, but many things had to happen first before he could as Sakura sat.

Then yanked out a brush and popped the lid of an ink well, pulling out a blank tag as she did so, "Sasuke use your sharingan to search for an opening, the tag will be obvious, maybe someone needs to be distraction so the kikaichu can get through" the rosette instructed.

Already drawing her teleportation seal formula at a high speed and it was done in five minutes flat "Understood, get ready Shino" Sasuke focused chakra into his eyes, seeing all kinds of openings and choosing the one that was the best.

Kikaichu dispersed while a small cluster remained clumped together as they carried the seal "Their in place, Sakura" the Uchiha announced five minutes later, checking over Team Eight himself now that they were pretty close and finding the quartet in poorer condition than expected.

Sakura bit her thumb and sped through the hand signs needed to summon the leader of her spider summons clan "Sakura-sama what can I do for you" Mibojin was just as ready to do her bidding as he ever was and she was glad for that.

"I'm going to send you with a message to Kakashi-sensei, Mibojin-sama" Sakura commanded, placing her hand on her spider summons and focusing on the seal that she'd been working on in her spare time with a small sigh of the wind he was gone.

Four minutes later he was back with confirmation from Hinata, who was the only one awake apparently, that she'd be ready to break the genjutsu that was going to be cast "Alright genjutsu types at the ready" Shikamaru instructed.

Cee, Sasuke and Sakura spread out, the hand signs for Sakura's nightmare genjutsu having been taught to the duo who were helping her cast it this one time only "Ninja Art: Nightmare Illusions" they finished in sync and cast an area wide genjutsu.

That had the enemies dropping like flies, Darui cringed as the men began screaming "Medics only, kid from the Aburame Clan stay with me, Nara and him, we can cast a four point barrier jutsu once the seven of them are out" the dark skinned male took charge.

When Shino hurried after his teammates and Cee "Probably for the best Shino, we'd only get in the way and you know it" the Nara heir pointed out carefully, not wanting to upset the easily depressed thirteen year old or question his abilities.

Meanwhile, Sakura, Sasuke and Cee had reached the room Team Eight and their sensei were being held "O..Oh Sa..Sakura-chan it w..was awful w..we were on our way to C..Cloud and th..those guys attacked us just be..because o..of me" Hinata cried.

Latching on to her first real friend, who'd taken the time to teach her how to be confident in herself and her abilities "Calm down Hinata-chan it's okay, we're here now, your gonna be safe I promise" Sakura soothed hugging the distraught Hyuga heiress reassuringly.

"Sasuke, Cee-san get started on healing Kiba and Akamaru, their in dire condition, Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" the rosette slammed her hand on the ground again, this time summoning Katsuyu as Cee and Sasuke knelt at the Inuzuka heir's side and started healing him.

While she instructed Katsuyu to attach herself to Naruto and Kakashi, both of whom were unconscious, yet not as in dire condition as Kiba, then made a hand sign to focus her chakra, the smaller versions of Katsuyu gained a green glow on their bodies.

As her young summoner poured all her concentration into the task at hand, sadly though the technique was a work in progress as way to soon the glow faded and the small version of Katsuyu dispelled in a plume of smoke.

Sakura crunched a chakra restoration pill and turned to Hinata while Sasuke and Cee, moved on to healing the more difficult of injuries on Kakashi and Naruto "Something's not right, usually that nine tailed beast guy heals Naruto to, but the chakra is sealed off" Sasuke frowned.

"Maybe it wasn't just about you either Hinata-san, they probably learned of Naruto being the Jinchuuriki and were following someone else's orders" Cee offered a viable explanation as he re-concentrated his efforts and chakra into healing.

Until he couldn't heal anymore "Inuzuka's got poison in him, they all do actually, I can tell you the symptoms and most likely plant" the Uchiha scowled, this was turning out not an all how he'd expected and if they didn't hurry the unconscious ones would never wake up.

"Tell me Sasuke, at the same time heat up some water with your fire jutsu, we don't have time to sit around and wait" the pinkette ordered glad that Sasuke had been sent, his knowledge of poisonous plants were coming in handy at last.

Especially when he began rattling off deadly plants and she pulled out herbs that would remedy the poison in antidote form, eight minutes later she had a murky yellow liquid in hypodermic form ready to inject into their bloodstream as Sasuke checked the completion of the antidote.

A little wisp of smoke wafted from the paper he'd dripped some poison on and sizzled flashing green and he gave her the go ahead as Cee sat back with Hinata watching and learning in a way to be able to do this himself sometime.

Only when their pale faces relaxed did the medics deem it safe to move the three unconscious shinobi "I've got knucklehead, Cee-san, please handle Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Kiba" Sakura hefted Naruto onto her back with ease and gentleness.

Hinata followed them carefully as they left the abandoned hotel to find all the enemies tied up "Do you think it's unsafe to bring them back with us to Cloud for interrogation" Darui questioned unsympathetic of the low class rogue ninjas.

Sakura gently set Naruto down next to Minato and stalked forward looking like a wraith her hair moving like a living banner as her chakra affected her features, Darui took three steps away from her as she approached.

Glaring down with furious green eyes at the low rank criminals "If it were just one or two of them it would be okay, the rest aren't necessary" the pinkette dubbed having no mercy on the people who'd hurt some of the people she cared for and loved like family.

"You heard the lady Darui-san, I can separate my shadow in two entities long enough for you to release a couple and tie them up" Shikamaru called, hiding within the shadows of a large birch tree, shadow stretched out before him.

With Shino's kikaichu buzzing about zapping them of their chakra "Hmm seems I underestimated how long it would take for you to get here, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san" a familiar voice to some drew their attention and Sakura went rigid.

"Kabuto what the hell are you doing here" Sakura spat growing tenser by the second as she realized what this was all about, it had been a ploy to lure her and Sasuke in to capture them and bring them to Orochimaru as prisoners or whatever else the disgusting man thought up.

The older teenager smirked "For you and Sasuke-san of course, Naruto to even, though you wouldn't believe the fight the four of them put up" Kabuto commented pushing his glasses up his nose back into their proper place as he spoke.

Her jaw was beginning to hurt as she ground her teeth furiously "Guess your stupider than I thought Kabuto, like hell I would ever let you put your hands on Sasuke, Naruto, myself or anyone from the Hidden Leaf Village or Hidden Cloud Village" the rosette glowered.

Readying herself as she settled in a loose stance, if Naruto really was Minato's son, then she could leave it to that man to protect Naruto, Sasuke was the one she was more worried about, Orochimaru had been gagging after the Uchiha since the Chunin Exams after all.

Kabuto seemed to realize that she wouldn't go down without a fight as he shifted into a stance himself then lunged, Sakura flew into a set of hand signs "Ninja Art: Hair Senbon Jutsu" her hair sharpened into needles and then shot from her head with deadly accuracy.

Making the teenager resemble a pincushion after the attack ended and she did a little back flip, body flickering in a large swirl of cherry blossoms to his frustration as a chakra coated hand shot out at her missing it's target obviously.

As she reappeared behind him and tried to sweep his legs out from underneath him "Do you even know what it's like to loose someone you care about Kabuto" her eyes burned with fire as she spoke, keeping up with her evasion for the time being.

He grit his teeth "Of course I do Sakura-san, every single one of my experiments I care about them and I'm sad when they die" Kabuto answered dutifully, Sakura paused for a brief moment and shook her head in disgust.

"Then you don't understand what love is, when you care about someone you want to keep them safe from all harm, you don't understand even the most base human feelings, because when you lose someone it hurts, and though their in your heart, you can never get them back" Sakura explained.

"You can't hug them or talk to them or even watch them live their lives as they should anymore, I know that feeling of losing someone important, for four years I thought my best friend, the brother I always wanted was dead so until you understand don't EVER try to take away what I care about again" she finished.

Slamming her fist right in Kabuto's gut, sending him flying through the air from the powerful punch that she delivered, blood splattered across her cheek and she instinctively held her breath "S..Scary a..as ever Sakura-chan" Naruto's goofy voice filled her ears.

And her eyes went wide then filled with tears "Naruto-baka your awake" Sakura rubbed her eyes harshly while Shikamaru and Darui vanished after Kabuto, only to return empty handed, seemed after he got his ass handed to him he'd run off.

Next time they wouldn't waste even a second of going after him "There's no point in letting any of them live is there" Shino piped in, the low class rogues had served their purpose after all, interrogating them now would get them no where.

The others seemed to agree as well "Here Sakura, its' a wet cloth to clean up your face" during the time the adults were handling the rogues, Sasuke held out a wet cloth for Sakura, who took it and washed her face gratefully.

"Guess you really saved us this time huh" Kiba sighed the second to awaken from his injure induced sleep, feeling sore all over and still nearly depleted of chakra, but alive, Akamaru to, who let out a tiny yip in agreement.

"You totally missed it though, she punted Kabuto on his ass, you remember that creepy guy from the Chunin Exams, yeah he went flying it was awesome believe it" Naruto was chattering a mile a minute to his teammates, both of whom looked relieved they'd made it out of this alive.

Cee chuckled at their antics glad that this whole thing was over now "What about K..Kakashi-sensei" the blue haired heiress stuttered casting a worried glance at her sensei as the unknown blonde knelt at the silver haired man's side.

"Don't worry so much Hinata-chan, he just over used his sharingan again, which means he'll be out for a couple of days probably and sore for the next several" Sakura snorted knowing why the man was still knocked out, it was the only viable option anyway.

Minato pressed his fist to his mouth to keep from laughing as Cee and Darui carried his old student between them as the lot of them started in the direction of Hidden Cloud, leaving behind nine dead rogues and exploding tags that they used to blow up the old hotel miles later.

And just as night was crawling over the land they reached the Cloud Village "Brats" Ay was on his feet when the lot of them crowded into his office, Minato was a little surprised that the first one Ay went to was the pink haired girl.

Thoroughly checking her over for any sort of injuries "I'm okay Raikage-sama, Naruto, Sasuke, Shino, Shikamaru, Kiba and Hinata-chan are to but I'm afraid Kakashi-sensei is going to be laid up in a bed for a few days" the rosette smiled light bags under her eyes.

Indicating a lack of sleep from this whole mission, Ay ruffled her hair "Yeah she turned Kabuto Yakushi into a human pincushion, what was the jutsu you used by the way" Darui smirked, that memory engraved in his mind forever.

"Ninja Art: Hair Senbon Jutsu, it's supposed to be an exclusive jutsu of Jiraiya-sensei's so how do you know it" Minato spoke up for the first time since they'd started making their way to Cloud, having chosen to stay at the back of the group to keep an eye out for anymore trouble.

Viridian orbs flickered up to meet his slightly accusing gaze "Jiraiya-sama taught me himself, I don't use it much obviously, but he taught me" Sakura smiled fondly, the Toad Sage despite his initial dislike had come to care for her in a grandfatherly like fashion.

"Anyway good work brats, go find a hotel and get some rest, I'll send a message to Tsunade letting her know that you completed the mission, and that you deserve a break for your hard work" the Raikage waved them off in the next moment.

Sakura didn't leave quite yet "Raikage-sama allow me please to send Katsuyu-sama ahead with this seal so that you can correspond without having to wait" the pinkette bowed politely as she made her request, the Raikage raised a brow.

Before shrugging "Go ahead do whatever brat, I trust you, then get some sleep you look like your about to fall flat on your face stupid brat" Ay barked, watching as she summoned the slug that Tsunade was famed for and sent it off with a seal.

After connecting it with another one for easy correspondence, then with another bow hurried after the others and shared with Hinata as they curled up in beds to get some shut eye like they so obviously need since it was late at night.

The next morning Sakura was awake bright and early "Oh I see we have an early riser, Good Morning Sakura-san" Minato greeted when she stepped foot outside the hotel with a small chuckle of amusement only for his eyes to go wide at the sight of the kunai around her neck.

"Where did you get that, you didn't steal it from Kakashi did you" his eyes darkened and Sakura looked up at him wide eyed, taking several steps away from him, Minato cursed himself for being intimidating like that until her own eyes darkened and narrowed.

Lips pressed into a thin line "Kakashi-sensei gave it to me two months ago, when I tried to give it back he refused to even listen, don't accuse me of stealing, I hate thieves and liars just so you know" Sakura began in an angry tone, before switching to a more resigned tone.

Minato simply raised a brow "Well that's the brat I remember, though I admit I am curious, why would Hatake give you a kunai with the teleportation seal on it" Ay shot down beside them in the next moment having heard the initial question while waiting to show up in style.

Emerald orbs brightened and the blonde looked confused "Understand Raikage-sama that I didn't get injured okay but about two months ago, Tsunade-shishou sent me off on a very dangerous mission to infiltrate Akatsuki, Kakashi-sensei told me to use this to get out of danger" the pinkette stated seriously.

Both males were horrified "Why, why would Tsunade do such a thing your only a child Sakura-san" the blonde frowned deeply wondering how the village was faring under such a leader, what kind of leader sent children on dangerous missions like that.

"The Akatsuki's leader was already planning on kidnapping me anyway, it would have been pointless trying to find ways to prevent it, their relentless like that, plus we had an inside man, two technically but one was taken into protective custody" Sakura admitted.

Ay snorted and ruffled the brats bangs "Damn it brat just be more careful alright, if something happened to you, those idiots wouldn't know how to handle themselves anymore" the Raikage scoffed knowing it was the true.

Even she snickered under her breath at that "Guess I can't argue, Naruto and Sasuke are a couple of goofballs, I love them though and I'm glad we made it in time to save them and Kakashi-sensei to" the pinkette rubbed her eyes lightly.

"Because their family right I know stupid brat, by the way you always keep it up so how long is it" Ay pointed to her braided hair that was tied tightly in a bun atop her head, hair spikes and senbon weaved into it discreetly with an odd opaque liquid on them.

Sakura crinkled her nose "About to here, though I've been contemplating cutting it all off lately" she gestured to the outside of her right lower thigh "How did correspondence go with Shishou" the rosette inquired lightly.

Knowing that Tsunade must be fuming "Told her about Namikaze somehow being alive so she's sending Jiraiya this way, she also said for you to stay here with those three to help out in the hospital, establish connections between Leaf and Cloud hospitals" the Raikage grunted.

"Just how did Tsunade Senju become the Hokage anyway, nothing happened to Lord Third right" Minato interjected, worried that the village wasn't doing so well, not since he died anyway, last he'd heard Tsunade was a gambling drunkard.

The young girl who seemed close to Tsunade turned "Lord Third is just fine, happily in retirement now and he chose her as his successor, though Naruto, Jiraiya-sama and I had a devil of a time finding her, but in the end she came back with us" Sakura huffed in remembrance.

"You know I never did ask, only got a half-assed explanation but how did that Uchiha survive the massacre" Ay straightened and crossed his arms over his chest, there it was a small flinch at the reminder before Sakura squared her shoulders.

Taking a deep subtle breath as she did so "Shizune-sempai found him when he washed up on the bank of Naka River when he tried to commit suicide, she saved him with her mystical palm so he decided to follow her and Shishou around for almost four years" the fuscia haired teen explained.

Shoving the memories to the back-burner, Shisui was back that's all that mattered to her "Don't worry Sakura-chan, Shisui's not leaving you ever again that much I can tell you" then her knucklehead friend poked his head out the hotel door with a grin.

Having heard the statement "Course not cause I'll track him down and kick his ass next time, how are you feeling" Sakura frowned deeply concerned for the blonde as she looked him over more intently than before.

"Ugh I feel like I was run over by a stampede of horses you know, I should have done more, fought harder but then that guy shoved his fingers in my gut and everything hurt so bad that I passed out" Naruto groaned going on a rant.

Sakura grit her teeth "Sasuke was right then, they tried to cut you off from the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra, great only a master at fuinjutsu can fix the seal" the pinkette sighed tiredly, glancing discreetly at Minato, if he was the Fourth Hokage, only he could fix Naruto's seal.

After all he was the one who designed it, thankfully the older blonde caught on "If you don't mind Naruto-kun, I can take a look at the seal and fix it even" Minato offered, Naruto grabbed Sakura's sleeve and shot her a wary look.

Before she nodded encouragingly so he lifted his shirt and focused chakra to reveal his seal that kept the Kyuubi in check "Hmm I see…one moment, brace yourself Naruto-kun, this might hurt a little" the blonde grimaced wanting to do anything but hurt his son anymore.

Naruto was a tough little kid it seemed as he squared his shoulders and tensed, then in the next second it was all over and red chakra flowed through him again, he could feel it "Ouch" the blonde Uzumaki rubbed his stomach.

Feeling more sore than before now "Crybaby, here" Sakura snorted teasing him lightly as she raised a glowing green hand and ran it over his stomach and anywhere else he felt sore until he felt moderately better than before.

"Seems being Tsunade's apprentice has really improved your medical ninjutsu huh brat" Ay chuckled, realizing in that moment, someday down the road Sakura would surpass her Shishou in medical prowess and strength probably.

Sakura knew it to as she nodded quietly a fond look on her face "I've been training so hard it's unbelievable and when I get older she wants me to be the Assistant to Head Medic" the pinkette announced emerald orbs burning with fire.

"Oi Kakashi's awake, he wants to talk to you Sakura, also he's complaining about well you know" Sasuke appeared in a swirl of black crow feathers, having only thought of going to Sakura, even if she was stood outside the door of the hotel, which hadn't been as far as he thought.

"Uh-huh I swear he's the most whiniest Jonin I've ever met when it comes to getting proper rest" Sakura let out an exasperated and irritated sounding sigh as she stomped her way back into the hotel to give that stubborn Jonin a piece of her mind no doubt.

Sasuke and Naruto shared secretive smiles as they remembered the last time the Jonin in question was stubborn "Totally can't miss out on seeing her give him a stern talking to" Naruto grinned as he sped after Sakura, Sasuke, the older blonde and the Raikage on his heels.

Arriving in the nick of time to hear Sakura begin a full blown rant "Honestly Kakashi-sensei you have to take better care of yourself, otherwise recovery time will take longer and you'll be stuck in bed for probably the entirety of this mission" the rosette scowled.

"But Sakura-chan I can't be laid up in bed, Raikage-sama wants me and my students to help out around the Cloud Village" Kakashi sulked, wondering how he ended up being on the receiving end of a scolding by this girl again.

It was like she was specifically born to keep him from being holy reckless and stubborn "No buts Kakashi-sensei, you'll be in bed for the next three days to recovery and I'm sure Raikage-sama understands, but one more complaint out of you and you'll be given a shot" she planted a hand on her hip.

And barred her teeth giving her a very scary intimidating look "Okay, okay no need I promise I'll be good" the silver haired Jonin was quick to raise his hands and assure her that he would behave at least for the time being.

"Glad we could come to an understanding Kakashi-sensei" Sakura smiled brightly and he couldn't help the shudder as she pranced from the room he was in, it just wasn't fair how she could do that, completely give him the run around until he had no choice but to concede defeat to her.

Outside the room Sakura rolled her eyes lightly at his pouting "Ridiculous, anyway I'm going back to work brat, head to the hospital whenever" Ay snorted and disappeared in a plume of smoke leaving some of the brats he was familiar with, with Namikaze.

"Your scary Sakura, but I'm glad your able to get him to listen to reason" the youngest Uchiha smirked, if it had been him he would have just knocked the man out, no if's and or buts about it, he didn't have the patience that Sakura did.

This earned another roll of emerald orbs "For now, he'll be obstinate later and you know it Sasuke" Sakura scoffed under her breath, heading for the room she shared with Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto and the Fourth Hokage on her heels again.

"M..Morning S..Sakura-chan, N..Naruto-kun, S..Sasuke-kun h..how are you all feeling" Hinata stuttered the moment they entered the room and she was glad that she'd had the thought of getting dressed earlier otherwise she'd still be in her sleeping clothes.

All three in question returned the greeting "We're good Hinata-chan no worries alright" the pinkette smiled kindly at the gentle girl, walking up to her even with a glowing green hand to heal what she could of the soreness she probably still felt.

Hinata instantly relaxed "Your chakra is s..so soothing" the blue haired heiress hummed softly looking ready to crash despite having only woken up a little while ago, and with a little nudge she slipped into a restful sleep again.

"Poor Hinata-chan, Dog boy and Akamaru to, they really got the short end of the stick" Naruto frowned deeply, tears shining in his baby blue eyes, and Minato had no idea of what to do to prevent his son from crying.

Thankfully Sakura seemed to be in tune with his moods and whatnot "Their okay Naruto-kun I promise, they just need a little more rest to feel better and maybe some medicine, what herbs do you have Sasuke" Sakura reached for her medical pouch.

Naruto watching with curiosity in his gaze as Sasuke did the same thing "Chamomile, skullcap, bearberry and boneset, didn't have time to restock since we left in a hurry, but I think all of those will help, want me to make medicine or tea" Sasuke listed as he pulled out his limited supplies.

Sakura pursed her lips "Tea, use chamomile, skullcap and bearberry, make enough for all of us, I'll go see if I can borrow the kitchen" the rosette ticked off her fingers, knowing that she had a lot more herbs on hand than Sasuke did.

"I wish I could keep up with her sometimes" the Uchiha sighed but sat and pulled out a portable burner, his water supply scroll for a bottle of water, a kettle, then set the herbs chosen in the water to boil and strain afterwards with a strainer.

"Indeed, but that's why Sakura was one of the ones to become Chunin, her high level of thinking has saved us many times" Shino was next to awaken and appear, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to their rest in the room next door.

Minato frowned yet again not understanding anything that was going on anymore "Saved you what do you mean" and it took him a couple minutes to work up the nerve to ask, because surely nothing could be as bad as he'd seen so far.

Shino pushed his sunglasses back into place "Before I became a genin, a sensei at the academy tricked me, if it weren't for Sasuke and Sakura-chan I would have been killed, if not for Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei would be dead twice now" Naruto piped in.

Just a little wary still but Sakura seemed to trust this guy "Not to mention if not for Sakura, I would be Orochimaru's puppet three times now, Sakura also sacrificed herself for me when my older brother tried to use the Tsukuyomi on me" Sasuke grimaced.

"Me to, Orochimaru tried to kill me as well and she kicked him in the face and then Shino blew him up with his barrier, this isn't the first time my team and I have been in trouble but Sakura always comes to our rescue, Sasuke and Shino to" the Uzumaki boy grinned.

A little disturbed by how much had actually happened Minato fought vainly to keep himself from scowling deeply and reigned in his massive anger "I get that she's saved you a lot, but what about her, who comes to her rescue when she's in danger" the older blonde questioned.

The three boys tightened their hands into fists "Sakura's smart, I'm pretty sure she doesn't need any of us to rescue her, it'd be to troublesome anyway" Shikamaru popped into the room in a plume of smoke having felt the chakra and the latest question.

Lying through his teeth, if Sakura was in danger, he was pretty sure a lot of people would come to her rescue, all of them in the room excluding this person he didn't really trust quite yet, Sakura had called him the Fourth Hokage but the guy hadn't given them any concrete proof.

"Yeah right Shikamaru, you know that if Sakura got hurt you'd be just as furious as the rest of us, she's the one that showed us the real meaning of the Will of Fire after all" Kiba scoffed, trudging wearily into the hotel room that everyone seemed to be gathering in.

And flopping tiredly down on the empty bed, Akamaru getting comfortable on his stomach "The real meaning of the Will of Fire" Minato creased his brow utterly confused, how could they think one girl was the only person capable of saving them and such.

"The ability to see anyone and everyone as family regardless of blood, in my heart everyone is family to me and I'll protect them to my dying breath" Sakura returned, carrying a tray with loads of plates on it that must be super heavy.

Right at the same time Sasuke deemed the tea ready "Wake up Hinata-chan, breakfast is here, Sasuke made tea" the rosette gently shook Hinata awake then carefully placed a plate loaded with nourishing food on it in front of her, while Sasuke handed her a cup of herbal tea.

"How the heck are you even doing that with those weights on" Kiba gaped, knowing that his friend liked to wear heavy ass weights all the time, just like Rock Lee "Come to think of it, how much do they even way" the Inuzuka heir questioned.

Sakura glanced to her bandage wrapped arms as she set a plate before him, followed by the glass of tea until all of them had one, with an extra left over for Kakashi "Mm if I recall I'm up to at least 105 pounds each, how chakra enhanced strength of course" Sakura smiled innocently.

While Shikamaru and Minato choked on their tea, poor Kiba looked like he was about to faint as she and Sasuke traipsed from the room, tray with last plate of food and cup of tea in hand, everything was going well as they ate.

Until furious chakra nearly suffocated them as it swamped the whole hotel with its might "Whoa that was Sakura-chan, wonder why she's so angry" Naruto flinched, not wholly afraid to admit he was terrified of his friend/sister, he hated it when she got like this though.

As she stormed back into the room she was sharing with Hinata, hair loose from it's braided bun and looking like some kind of demon emerging from hell "Shino, I need you to track Kakashi-sensei's scent, he escaped from his room" the pinkette ordered.

Lips turned down into the angriest scowl her boyfriend had ever seen, furious glint in her eyes and brow twitching madly that the order to rest had been ignored, pale Shino hurriedly ordered some of his kikaichu to track the missing Jonin.

"Found it, just follow them" Shino announced a couple seconds later at his Kikaichu picked up on Kakashi's scent trail, Sakura was off like a projectile weapon through the hotel window that she threw open carefully, Sasuke on her heels.

Shikamaru and Kiba shuddered "I don't know how you or Uchiha put up with her, that girl is scary" Kiba rubbed his arms trying to get rid of the goosebumps that had risen on his flesh when that angry chakra had practically exploded and swamped the hotel with it's potency.

"W..While th..that might be t..true Kiba-kun, …Sak..Sakura-chan also cares a..about Kakashi-sensei's well-being th..that's why she got so mad, h..he could injure himself much more seriously if he doesn't rest like she told us to" Hinata chimed in.

~Meanwhile~

"Don't suppose you warned the brat that I called you here did you Hatake" Ay questioned suddenly when he felt the angry chakra headed their way down the hall of the Raikage Tower, two of his shinobi tagging along probably amused.

Kakashi went as pale as a ghost, more than he already was anyway "I might have forgot to mention it, hehehe, think you can run damage control for me" the silver haired man pleaded, frightened of a little girl of all things to his amusement.

"Fine, but I expect you to work twice as hard when the brat gives you the okay to start working again" the Raikage snorted, right as the doors to his office opened and the pink haired brat bowed in respect to him.

Then straightened, emerald orbs narrowed on Kakashi "Pardon my intrusion Raikage-sama, however Kakashi-sensei seems to have gone against a medics order to rest and seems to have come here" Sakura said in an unamused tone of voice.

Clearly in no mood for any sort of games "I realize it was against the medics order brat, but I'm the one who called him here, he was the one who was supposed to tell you and forgot, think you can forgive him just this once" Ay requested.

Obviously finding great amusement in this situation as Sakura crossed her arms over her chest then slumped "Suppose so, next time warn me or else Kakashi-sensei" the pinkette scowled at Kakashi who nodded his head seriously.

Behind her Darui pressed his fist to his mouth to keep from snorting in laughter, while Karai seemed similarly amused but he was more resigned about it "Gotcha Sakura-chan" Kakashi grimaced hating that he'd upset and worried her.

In fact she might even just make him take that nasty medicine again, she was vindictive like that sometimes as Ay wrapped up the meeting and sent him off with Sakura back to the hotel, Sasuke trailing after them, looking amused.

And once he was back in bed, a tray with a plate of food and a glass of liquid was placed before him, Sakura narrowed her eyes and he dutifully started eating, hesitantly sipping his drink and found it to be tea all while she watched to make sure he ate every last bite.

When he was done the tray was taken away and that was the last time he saw Sakura that day, as she ran off to help out at the hospital under Cee and Amai, awing the hospital medics with her advanced medical ninjutsu until she was sent back to the hotel to get some shut eye.


	33. Crisis in the Hidden Cloud Village

Less than three days later, thanks to Sakura and Sasuke, Team Eight and it's sensei were back on their feet "Thank kami I don't think I would have been able to handle much more of Kakashi's whining" Sasuke grumbled glaring at the man.

"Unfortunately as much as I want to say otherwise, I have to agree with you Sasuke" Sakura rolled her eyes in half exasperation, half annoyance, Darui bit his cheek harshly to keep from laughing like a loon, people already thought he was weird after all.

No need to add fuel to their fire by "Well now that, that's over what do you say we head to the hospital and get to work you two" Cee cleared his throat, taking both medics for the hospital, they worked better as a duo anyway than apart.

With that the three medics walked away "Suppose we ought to get started on dealing with things around the village" Kakashi reminded his students that they did in fact have a mission and they needed to get to work on it to improve relations.

All three jumped to at his command impressing Minato, that had been one awkward meeting "You know Kakashi-kun, I'm glad your doing so well" Minato chuckle softly watching how his old student instructed his own students with ease.

"If you don't mind Kakashi-sensei, Shino and I will join you since our mission leader and medic have kind of abandoned us" Shikamaru huffed probably thinking along the lines that this whole thing was a drag, a typical Nara response.

Kakashi nodded silently "R..Right so what are w..we going to be doing an..anyway Kakashi-sensei" Hinata stuttered lightly, asking because they hadn't really been given details of what their mission would entail.

"Helping out around the village, taking on D Rank Missions and the like" the silver haired Jonin in charge of them announced, Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, silently frustrated that even at Chunin he was still having to do those bloody awful D Rank Missions.

But he understood them "Got it Kakashi-sensei, come on Kiba, Hinata-chan, Shino, Shikamaru lets get to work" Naruto pumped his arm psyching himself up and turning to his current teammates, he counted them all of course, because teamwork was what made teams work.

Minato hid a smile behind his hand "Leave strategizing to Shikamaru, why because he's our best bet to get this missions completed in a timely order" Shino chose that moment to speak and all eyes turned to him, but no one argued, because they knew he was right.

Shikamaru let out a long suffering sigh and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ~What a drag~ as they all headed for the Raikage Tower to get the list of D Ranks "Probably for the best right Akamaru" Kiba snorted and his ninken yipped in agreement.

~Meanwhile~

"Oh Sakura-san, Sasuke-san good morning, I see your here to help out again, good, I was just about to treat a little girl for seizures, maybe even prescribe her a medicine, can I get your help on that" another medic that had taken a distinct liking to the youngest medics ever greeted.

Earning matching greetings in return before they followed him "Strange" Sakura hummed checking the little girl over, there wasn't a thing wrong with her brain "Can you take a look with your sharingan Sasuke" she frowned.

Cee and the other medic standing back to let them work "What exactly am I looking for Sakura" Sasuke questioned activating his sharingan anyway because he certainly didn't like that look on her face, it said something was amiss but she couldn't quite figure out the problem.

"Unusual brain activity, anything that might be causing her seizures, when I checked I found absolutely nothing" the rosette explained, she knew that she was good with the structure and functions of the brain and new how to check for things, but if this girl was having seizures why couldn't she find anything.

Sasuke raised a brow but did as asked "Nothing, I see what you mean, there isn't anything abnormal going on with her brain, are you sure it's seizures" the ebony haired preteen turned to face the medic that had requested their help in the first place.

Who clearly didn't like that his diagnosis of the little girl was being questioned "Well of course I'm sure, I witnessed her having one myself" he snapped, Cee paled slightly when Sakura straightened and marched towards them.

"As a medic it's our job to question everything to figure out what's wrong, Tsunade Senju is my master, she's taught me how to catch underlining problems, you might have witnessed that girl having a seizure, but there is nothing wrong with her brain" Sakura poked the older male in the chest.

Knocking him back a couple of inches from the force of her jab, a few feet behind her Sasuke bit his cheek harshly to keep from laughing at the man's suddenly extremely pale face "Thought I recognized your voice morning Sakura-san" Amai poked his head into the room.

Only to smile in amusement as he saw the scene, it was just like Sakura to stand up to one of the more senior medics of the hospital and question his diagnosis "If your so smart then figure it out yourself" the man decided that enough was enough and stormed from the room.

Cee grimaced "Ignore him, he's been getting things wrong for awhile now, it's his age you see, I'm sure your right, but how are you going to figure out what's really wrong" the onyx eyed blonde inquired curiously.

While the four of them crowded around the small girl "Well it might take a couple of days, but we can test her blood, check her over on a deeper level and the like, even ask her a few questions when she comes to" Sasuke listed with ease.

"Very interesting, are you also taking lessons from Tsunade-sama, Sasuke-san" the onyx eyed brunet inquired curiously, watching how the duo worked together like a well oiled machine, when one was doing something the other was matching it.

Sasuke shook his head though "No just me Amai-san, that doesn't mean Sasuke hasn't been watching my every move during surgeries and the like at Leafs Hospital or studying and practicing in his spare time" the pinkette giggled lightly.

Rubbing an alcoholic patch over a vein as checking the girl's brain waves on a deeper level produced no conclusive results, then Sasuke handed her a hypodermic needle attached to a syringe and she carefully drew blood, enough to test over the next couple of days.

"For now I would suggest an IV drip and a blood detoxifier to keep her flushed from any illness, food should be nourishing, immune boosting" the raven haired preteen suggested as the vial of blood was stowed away in Sakura's medical pouch.

Then they moved on and spread out to other patients in need of healing until it was time to return to the hotel "Thanks for your hard work you two" Cee bowed his head, having learned a great deal from tailing the young medic duo around the hospital nearly all day.

"Quite, hope you rest well and figure out what's going on with that little girl" Amai smiled softly, not able to leave like them because his shift wasn't over, Sasuke and Sakura bowed lightly then body flickered in a swirl of black crow feathers and cherry blossom petals.

Naruto jumped a foot in the air when his friends appeared next to him "Kami don't do that" the blonde puffed up his cheeks at them, Sakura grinned wide and rubbed his head with her knuckles gently before plopping down and pulling out a myriad of things from her medical pouch.

Even a vial of blood and he wondered how she was able to be so near it especially with her aversion to the smell of it "Work for the hospital, there's a little girl having seizures, yet her brain indicates that she's perfectly healthy" Sakura admitted.

Holding her breath, Minato honed in on that finding the action odd "So if she's healthy and nothings wrong with her, why is she having seizures" Shikamaru turned towards them strangely interested in the conversation.

"That's what we're trying to find out, we're going to run her blood through a couple of tests, got a microscope Sasuke, mine must have been out when we left Leaf" the fuscia haired teen turned to Sasuke, who quickly handed her what she needed.

Dripping some drops of blood on a little piece of square glass and looking at it through the lens of the microscope, scribbling down a couple of things on a scroll, before handing it off to Sasuke, who checked with his sharingan.

Who also wrote some things down "Did you find anything" Naruto asked curiously, he knew they were good but it seemed this was actually giving them trouble, an unknown cause was causing seizures in a child it was slightly worrisome.

"Zilch, there are a few more things we can do though to test the blood, but for now, nothing at all indicates the reason why she's having seizures" Sasuke scowled passing a hand through his hair in frustration, usually they could figure out a problem with no problem.

And the next day was even stranger "What do you mean you released her from the hospital this morning" Sakura crossed her arms, unhappy, they'd even gotten up early to ask the girl a couple of questions that were bothering them.

The medic that had snapped at her twice gave them a very condescending look "She woke up feeling just fine, the seizures have even stopped so her mother asked to take her home, now if you don't mind I have bigger problems than listening to two whiny little brats" he scowled.

Marching off around the corner and disappearing from sight "Calm down Sakura, it was probably something she ate and the seizures were temporary" the Uchiha pat her arm reassuringly as they headed in the opposite direction to find Cee and Amai.

Both of whom were similarly disturbed at the occurrence, there was just no way someone could get better that quick after all as they went about their day, it was around noon that another patient showed up with the same exact symptoms as the little girl.

"Somethings just not right with this situation" the rosette worried her lip furiously as she looked the older man over, brain activity normal, body functions normal, nothing to indicate or give a reason as to why he was having seizures.

Unfortunately Sasuke, Amai and Cee agreed with her "Did you find anything conclusive from that little girl's blood that you ran through a couple of tests" Amai questioned, looking more than a little concerned now that this was the second person to come down with these symptoms.

"You know I thought we did catch a couple of things, but when we checked this morning we couldn't find them anymore" Sasuke admitted, brow creased into a deep frown of concentration, hands glowing a bright green.

Before the healing chakra faded and he glanced to Sakura, who's brow was knit into a deeper frown, something was amiss and she could feel it and he knew that brushing her gut feelings off were never a good idea, case and point as his mind flashed back to the day of the massacre.

"Let's all check together, right now, the other medics can handle things by themselves for a while" Cee suggested, just as concerned as the other three medics in the room with him, so blood was drawn, poor Sakura had to hold her breath, he felt for her, but this was serious.

And together they looked at the blood through microscopes "I see what you mean, there's something definitely strange in their blood stream" the brunet pulled away from his microscope a few minutes later, lips tugged into a frown.

"Agreed, no matter what we can't let him go home, I'll talk to the Head Medic" the onyx eyed blonde vanished in that moment and when he returned it was with confirmation from the Head Medic to keep the patient in the hospital, even if he felt better the next day.

Hours later Sasuke and Sakura left to return to the hotel "Hey why the long faces Sakura, bratty Uchiha" apparently Jiraiya had finally shown up a couple days later though and immediately noticed the frowns the duo wore.

"People are coming down with seizure like symptoms, but we can't figure out the reason because the symptoms disappear, we have another one, thankfully Cee-san talked to the Head Medic and now no one can release the second patient with these symptoms" Sakura flopped down.

Grabbing for some books, Jiraiya grimaced "Good luck I hope you find out what's going on, anyway as I was saying as odd as it is, it's good to have you back Minato" the Toad Sage turned to his old student, who'd grown into a strong shinobi under his teachings.

Only to die in action "Definitely odd, but I'm glad to be back, now I have all the time to rectify my colossal mistake" Minato nodded with a kind smile, peering discretely at his son, who he still hadn't told that he was the boys father.

Jiraiya chuckled knowing what the older blonde was thinking "It's good to see you though Sakura, how are things back home" Jiraiya turned to the young girl, having a few questions he wanted to ask her, since Tsunade had told him about her successful infiltration of Akatsuki.

"Their great Jiraiya-sama, Shisui-ni is still adjusting to being back in the village though, taking on missions to, though Shishou kind of sends him out sporadically which frustrates him" the pinkette turned smiling bright.

Minato blinked a little shocked, didn't the girl know his former sensei was a pervert, yet she was smiling so happily at him "Wonderful…now for what I really want to ask, the Akatsuki Leader, did he really have orange hair, did you see a redhead or a blue haired woman" the Sannin asked.

"Yes he did Jiraiya-sama, with purple ripple patterned eyes and no I didn't see either of them, it was just him, myself and Danzo in what looked like an office" Sakura shook her head seriously, mind flashing back to that day with ease.

The Toad Sage rubbed his chin in thought before rifling around in his pouch "Did he look like this" Jiraiya held out a book, opened to the very last page where three pictures of kids were displayed, each with a name underneath, Sakura looked.

"Kinda, but he had lots of piercings, all over his face, in his ears and even in his arms I think, couldn't tell he was wearing the black cloak with red clouds" the rosette nodded carefully, easily remembering the amount of metal the guy was sporting in his flesh.

Not that it was all that hard to remember anyway, again Jiraiya rubbed his chin and stowed the book away "Thanks for answering my questions Sakura, hope you figure out what's wrong with your patient to" the white haired male stood and then was gone.

Leaving behind several confused people "What was that all about, why because it seemed like he was indicating that you met face to face with a dangerous criminal" Shino narrowed his gaze on his girlfriend, who hadn't told him a thing.

"Shino-kun understand I only did what I had to because Tsunade-shishou asked me to undergo the mission" the fuscia haired teen soothed, flaring her chakra and allowing it to seep soothingly into Shino, as his kikaichu reacted to his anger and began hissing.

It was always a creepy sound, Shino sighed "Fine only because you came back unharmed" the Aburame Heir slumped his shoulders slightly depressed, he was probably the last one to know to, which really sucked.

Her lips curled upwards "Oh Shino-kun of course I came back unharmed, I'll always come back to you" Sakura pressed herself into his side, threading her fingers through his, he got angry because he cared, he just got a little to depressed sometimes.

The moment between them was completely ruined when in the next moment Naruto gagged "Gah do you guys have to act so sickeningly sweet all the time" the blonde rolled his eyes in fake annoyance only to scream when a kikaichu hissed in his ear again.

Feeling slightly better Shino smirked and chuckled under his breath at having successfully scared Naruto for the second time "Why must you antagonize Shino all the time, you know he's gonna get you back, Sakura to" Kiba scoffed.

Busy tending to his weapons for the next mission they'd be going on "You know their right Naruto" Shikamaru laughed, it was always something when the lot of them got together, chaos usually happened and they thrived in it.

"The..There there Naruto-kun y..you know Shino-kun an..and Sakura-chan h..have to get along wit..with each other f..for the sake of their betrothal contract" Hinata soothed gently patting her crush on the back stuttering worse than before.

Minato eyed her oddly for it "He's not gonna stop no matter what you say Hinata, though he's mostly just teasing them" Sasuke piped in, pouring over medical texts with Sakura, who was now cuddled up next to Shino.

Naruto puffed up his cheeks again, inwardly thinking along the lines that he was so going to prank his friends for picking on him like this and as he thought of the perfect prank, he had to fight to keep the grin from forming on his face at it.

Later that night when everyone had gone to bed, Naruto crept out of his hotel room, carrying a certain seal on him, down a couple hallways to the one he knew Sakura was sharing with Hinata, with a deep breath he went to transform.

When a hand landed on his shoulder, "Just what do you think your doing Naruto-chan" a familiar voice whispered creepily in his ear and he let out a scream that could wake the dead, followed by a flash of bright light indicating that a picture had been taken of his humiliating moment.

Everyone flew out of their rooms in a panic only to find Naruto sitting on the floor staring at Sakura like she was some sort of ghost "Want to tell me what the hell is going on" Kakashi demanded, heart pounding in his chest.

"Yeah this little twerp was trying to prank us news flash Naruto I know exactly how you think" Sakura grinned not really angry, more amused than anything as Naruto pouted and sulked, arms crossed over his chest as he did so.

"Here I thought I'd never see the day where the great Naruto Uzumaki prankster extraordinaire was defeated, but here we are, oh and it looks like she even got evidence" Shikamaru chuckled spying the picture on the floor and picking up to look at it.

Naruto's eyes widened in horror as Shikamaru proceeded to then pass it around for everyone to look and see "Teme gimme that picture" he demanded fingers twitching and utterly mortified at the moment that he had been in fact defeated so to speak as a master prankster.

Sasuke smirked "Sorry, this juicy little thing is going in the album and you know it Dope" he body flickered when the blonde lunged at him and swiftly handed the picture over to Sakura, who hastily sealed it away.

Realizing that there was nothing he could do to get it now, Naruto slumped his shoulders "You guys are mean" he huffed storming down the hall back to his shared room with Sasuke, this statement was met with more laughter so he stuck his tongue out at them.

"Good grief these kids are a handful" Minato shook his head at their antics as they scattered and returned to their hotel rooms to get some more shut eye before they had to work in the morning until whenever Kakashi decided to give them a break.

Kakashi snorted at that "Trust me Minato-sensei, you have no idea" the Copy Ninja rubbed his temples in exhaustion to his old sensei's amusement as they to, returned to bed so they could get some more sleep until morning.

And after breakfast they all set forth, Sasuke and Sakura heading off to the hospital "He's awake, willing to answer a couple questions" Cee told them the moment they were signed in and the duo had found him wandering about making rounds.

"Perfect now we can find out what the heck is going on around here" Sasuke smirked, relieved that, that one medic hadn't been able to undermine the Head Medics orders of keeping the patient in the hospital until they could talk to him.

With that they hurried down the halls to the man's room "Ah I wondered when I'd get to see you" he greeted kindly gesturing the three medics into the hospital room he'd been assigned while he'd been mostly unconscious.

"Apologies for making you wait Sir, as you know we have a couple questions do you mind if we get right to that…good what's the last thing you remember doing before you had the seizure" Sakura smiled bowing lightly for the man.

Who tilted his head to the side considering her question "I was tending my garden, there was this strange feeling wash over me right before I collapsed" he finally said thinking long and hard until he managed to remember what had happened.

Immediately the blonde started scribbling things down "Strange like how Sir, do you think an insect could have bit you" the ebony haired preteen questioned, still no closer to finding an answer to the sudden problem they were experiencing.

"Not at all, it felt like air rushed around me" he frowned deeply trying to answer the questions as best he could, but beyond that point and remembering that he was tending to his garden he couldn't really remember anything else.

All three medics shared a concerned look "You don't think.…." the onyx eyed blonde trailed off uncertainly, did they have an intruder in the village, if so why was he doing such strange things and air wasn't a very good answer to the sudden onslaught of symptoms.

But twenty minutes later they were releasing him from the hospital and then around one in the afternoon four more patients were admitted for seizures "Their not really seizures, that's why we can't find anything abnormal" the rosette commented suddenly.

"Convulsions of course we should have figured that out right away, but still, there's no way this is the doing of one person, and we still can't figure out what's causing these convulsions in multiple people, air isn't a good answer" Sasuke slapped his forehead with a frown.

Amai put his hand to his chin "Maybe it's not just air, but scentless poison, mixed in with the air" the brunet offered, but they had no way to test this because the symptoms disappeared after a day which was actually very frustrating.

They had no way of knowing of course that things were soon going to take a turn for the worst as they treated the current patients with a blood detoxifier in their IV drips before setting them up in rooms for the night.

When morning came they were released to go home and that's how the next few days went "Give me a break" Sakura groaned one morning as they arrived at the hospital, light bags under her eyes from the stress of the situation they still couldn't quite figure out.

Finding it swamped with patients "We really need to figure this out" the Uchiha at her side scowled irritated looking about as exhausted as Sakura looked, which wasn't a good sign, especially when they found a couple medics among the patients.

One of them happened to be Cee, though he was surprisingly awake "Started healing myself the moment I felt it wash over me, though I feel like I'm about to pass out" Cee explained a sleepy look in his eyes that worried them.

"However I think I figured out what's causing these symptoms, Amai was right it's a scentless poison, or rather just one poisonous herb that was made scentless, Golden Chain, if burned can cause all these symptoms, just don't know how their doing it" the blonde admitted.

Unable to stay awake after that "Amai-san, we're going to go talk to Raikage-sama" the pinkette called out to the only other reliable medic in her eyes anyway, if Golden Chain was being burned and somehow being released they needed to find the person responsible quickly.

Before things got even worse than they already were, Amai turned in their direction, saw their serious expressions and nodded "Leave everything to me" the brunet called, watching as they gripped each others hand and body flickered in a swirl of blossoms.

To the Raikage Tower, where Kakashi was just arriving with the others to get some missions to do "We have a situation, someone is burning and releasing a poison powder in the air or using a wind jutsu to affect the civilians and now some shinobi of the Cloud Village" Sasuke announced.

Almost immediately upon arrival, then it felt like they were being suffocated "Then what the hell are you waiting for brats, go find the bastard who things he can harm the people and shinobi of my village" Ay barked harshly, reigning in his massive chakra and killing intent.

Shino turned sharply when Sakura shot him a look, "What do you need" the Aburame heir stood at the ready, knowing that she was looking at him for a reason, though he should have realized, he was a born tracker after all.

"Kikaichu dispersed throughout the village Shino as many as you can send out, if they see anything, anything at all I want to know immediately" Sakura ordered eyes burning with fire, who ever was doing this was gonna get burned when she found him, she'd make sure of it.

Naruto felt a shudder of fear crawl down his spine as Shino walked over to a window and opened it, kikaichu bursting from his sleeves to disperse around the village, things were about to get worse as the door to the office was thrown open "Lord Raikage we have a problem, nobody can find Atsui or Samui" another Cloud Shinobi announced.

Yes things were definitely getting bad as Sakura ground her teeth so loud that everyone could hear it in the office "Then let's go find them, do you have anything of theirs that would help in the search" Sasuke questioned trying to remain as calm as he could.

Thankfully the man held out a kunai that had chakra residue on it, which led to a chakra trail "We'll find them" the pinkette nodded seriously, emerald orbs dark, a glint of fury etched into her irises as she grabbed Sasuke's hand and in a swirl of petals were gone.

The chakra trail led them to outside the village so they both signed out and followed the trail deep into the forest that lay at the Hidden Cloud Village's doorstep, they traversed miles it seemed like until they found the missing Jonin.

Only they were in very poor condition "There's no way we'll get them back to the village like this Sakura" Sasuke pointed out, filled with fear that they might not be able to save the duo, as he checked them over.

Labored breathing, feverish, slight shaking or light convulsions, all indications that they'd been poisoned and it was then that Sakura began thinking "Not unless you have help Pinky-chan" a familiar voice to both of them called down to them.

Eyes flew upward to find Kisame Hoshigaki perched in a tree "Been trying to figure out a way to contact you, suppose you figured it out didn't you kid, that this is all Sasori's doing, anyway Leader-sama knows I'm a double agent so I feel no guilt helping you" Kisame grunted.

Also affected by poison, yet he was handling it better than the unconscious duo "Of course, Sasori Akasuna is a poison master" the rosette rubbed her eyes having only just figured it out literally when they'd arrived on scene.

"Regardless of that, with the poison and those injuries it's to dangerous to move them" the ebony haired preteen pointed out bluntly not trusting the man in the least when Kisame jumped from the tree he was in to the ground and rose to his full height.

Pale with sweat beaded on his brow, despite his appearance, he was human to "Cut it out Sasuke, focus on the task at hand not your petty issues with Kisame" Sakura snapped harshly and the boy flinched lightly knowing she was right.

So he bent and began drawing blood, then set to deconstructing the components of the poison that Atsui and Samui had been injected with "I've got it Sakura, we need…" Sasuke began listing a number of herbs that were necessary to create the antidote.

Groundsel, Mullein Root, Yarrow, Aloe Vera Juice and the like, all of which was boiled into hypodermic form, even Kisame got a shot when the antidote was tested to make sure it worked, then Sasuke and Sakura set to work on healing the Cloud Jonin.

Halfway through a cluster of kikaichu appeared in front of Sakura, it was a tough decision to suddenly stop and unroll a scroll for them to give her the message ~Unknown males, both wearing black cloaks with red clouds, high up in the sky~ formed before her eyes.

"In the sky huh, that means he has Deidara with him and nope I definitely don't feel guilty, I'll tell your Lady Hokage everything in exchange for protection" the shark-like rogue commented off-handedly as Sakura wrote a message back in honey.

The Kikaichu formed to the honey and took off back to their host to deliver their new message and Sakura returned to healing Atsui, leaving Samui to Sasuke, until they both let out agonized groans and slowly started waking up now that the poison was out of their system.

"What the hell is going on, last I remember this puppet guy was coming at us" Atsui squinted his eyes hardly able to see, when he felt hands he jumped and reached for a weapon, blood splattered across his face, followed by a soft whimper before a thud reached his ears.

When he was finally able to open his eyes properly he found a young girl passed out cold in front of him "Is that any way to treat the person who came to rescue you" Sasuke snapped, finished healing Samui, who was much more subdued than the other blonde.

And turned to Sakura, "Hold up why did Pinky pass out" Kisame frowned in concern, those three days he spent carrying her, he'd thought he'd really got to know the kid, but here she was passing out at the sight of blood.

"It's the smell of blood Hoshigaki, if she knows she's gonna be around blood she holds her breath, but when she's injured or someone gets injured unexpectedly and she's not prepared for it, she passes out, usually she pukes as well" the bratty Uchiha grumbled.

The person responsible flinched at the harsh tone "Couldn't see okay I'm sorry" Atsui scowled unhappy that he was the one getting snapped at, he felt like an ass to, when these kids had gone through the trouble to come looking for them.

Not that it wasn't worrisome that an S Class Rogue was hanging around "Anyway you two can walk now right, we really need to get back to the Village before anything else happens" Sasuke cleared his throat.

Lifting Sakura gently onto his back to carry her, she'd be out for a little bit anyway and the four of them made their trek back to Hidden Cloud "Err I think I'll stay out here until Pinky can explain things on my behalf" the blue skinned man said when they reached the gates.

Just as Sakura started coming round, hearing the statement "Ugh that was a doozy" the pinkette grimaced deeply feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of it though, she scrambled from Sasuke's back and bolted for a bush.

Puking just like Sasuke said she usually did, when she was done Sakura trudged wearily back towards them, skin as pale as a ghosts, probably feeling like she was going to puke again "Are you alright" Samui inquired tentatively.

Wondering if the girl blamed her brother for what she was going through "I'm okay Samui-san, just don't like the smell of…ugh blood" Sakura clapped a hand over her nose remembering belatedly that she was bleeding.

Sasuke was kind enough to heal it for her, Atsui grimaced "Let's get to Raikage-sama's office alright" the young girl sighed, exhaustion shining through plain as day as they walked through the Cloud Village warily until they reached the tower.

And finally the Raikage's office where everyone else was still waiting "Sasori Akasuna is our culprit, I'm gonna blast that bastard right out of the sky to" Sakura marched right up to Ay's desk and declared that in a furious voice.

That had everyone on edge including the Raikage himself "How are you going to get up there, when you don't have the necessary technique to somehow fly like he is" Kakashi piped in worriedly, this was three times now that Akatsuki was interfering with things.

He couldn't help the shudder when Sakura let her lips curl into a guileless smile "If he thinks he's the only one who can use chakra strings, he better think again, all I need is trajectory range and one of your special exploding clones Naruto" the rosette admitted.

In that state not even Naruto would argue with her "Can you get them outside the village and catch them in a barrier" Ay requested not wanting anything to happen to his village, Sakura was a heavy hitter, he knew that much.

Sakura nodded seriously "Where did your Kikaichu see them Shino" then she turned to Shino, who started hastily explaining where the Akatsuki duo were located, near the entrance now, and she jolted because that's where Kisame was.

"Kakashi-sensei, code-name Shark is out there by the gates, they found him out as a double agent, if we don't go now all the information he possesses could be lost and we'll be at a disadvantage again" Sakura faced the silver haired Jonin.

The man startled at that "Then we're bringing him into protective custody just like what we did with Weasel" Kakashi nodded as the lot of them hurried just as a large explosion went off where the gates were they ran even faster at that.

Even body flickering in the nick of time to pull Kisame out of the way, a barrier went up in a split second protecting them from the second blast "Yikes your scary" Kiba grimaced, he was seeing more of his old classmate than ever before.

"We'll have more time to talk about how scary I am later Kiba, right now what I want is to know their exact position in the sky" the pinkette deadpanned glancing to Shino, who communicated with his Kikaichu to her what she wanted.

Nearly right above their heads, it was perfect as Naruto made one of his special clones, then he, Shino and Sasuke spread out to ready themselves to raise a barrier, while Kakashi and Minato stood off to the side tensed but watching for the moment.

"Okay so how exactly is this going to work Sakura-chan" the Naruto clone gulped slightly fearful of what he was about to go through, he wasn't a fan of heights after all, that rubbed off from his creator strangely enough.

She gave him a reassuring look "Don't worry you'll do fine, all you have to do is explode on those bastards" Sakura gave him a closed eye smile, Kiba felt goosebumps rise on his flesh again, while Hinata clutched his hand tightly.

With that she attached invisible chakra strings to the Naruto clone, then with brute strength swung him like one would a lasso and tossed the clone straight up into the sky, a redhead and blonde straightened when he appeared on the weird bird they were on.

"How the hell did you get up here little punk hmm" the blonde glowered, though slightly worried, because he didn't know how this kid had gotten up here in the first place, there was a reason they were positioned in the sky after all.

Sasori however smirked "Look what we have here the Jinchuuriki of the Hidden Leaf Village, to bad Itachi and Kisame were traitorous bastards, now we get their quarry" the redhead laughed missing the hand signs that the Jinchuuriki boy started going through.

"Just one little thing, I'm a clone…..explode" the clone saluted then exploded into all manners of weapons, the chakra strings that had been attached to him, were now attached to them and when Sakura felt that change.

She took a deep breath and then yanked with all her might, they were sent careening to the earth, "You" Sasori hissed seeing who it was when the cloud of dust settled, revealing that pink haired brat and he went to lunge seething with unbridled rage.

Viridian orbs met his with a furious glint in their depths right before she disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms "Don't Mess With My Precious People Shannaro bastards" followed by a powerful kick to the back and he slammed into a pale blue barrier.

And she appeared on the other side of it before it was fully raised "Idiot, don't just lay there Deidara blow up this fucking barrier now" the redhead turned to his partner only to find him unconscious from the impact with the earth.

"Looks like your out of luck Sasori Akasuna this little game of yours comes to an end right now" Ay arrived on scene and Sasori realized that the Raikage was right, it really did seem like he was completely out of luck right now.

His facial expression didn't change at all though "Hoshigaki, you well enough to drown these bastards with one of your water jutsu" the Raikage barked at the S Class rogue that had changed his ways for some reason.

Kisame smirked at that, showing off all his razor sharp teeth as he met Sasori's hazel gaze through the barrier "Unfortunately as much as I'd like to, it would only work on one of them, Sasori's a human puppet, he'd survive any water jutsu" he said.

Feeling absolutely no guilt whatsoever in revealing the man's trump card, fury glinted in those hazel eyes but Sasori said nothing instead he walked over to his partner "This is getting us nowhere then, if you would please allow me in" Minato spoke up.

Very angry that these men from an organization called Akatsuki were trying to kidnap his son, when all eyes were on him Sasori made his move, commanding a puppet that he'd had hidden in the forest to shoot forward aimed at that pink haired brat.

"LOOK OUT KID" Darui yelled as he appeared on scene with Cee, warning her in time so Sakura spun on her heel and aimed a punch right at that hunk of wood, sending it flying in the opposite direction with a powerful chakra enhanced punch.

It splintered into itty bitty pieces as it crashed into a tree several meters away, when they all turned to look Sasori and his partner were gone, having escaped from the barrier "Oops sorry" Naruto apologized sheepishly as he realized it was his fault they got away.

Sakura trudged over to him "No don't worry about it okay Naruto, anyone in that situation would panic and forget themselves" she patted his head gently utterly exhausted at this point and as they all started forward to return to the village, she collapsed.

Cee barely caught her in time since he was closest to Sakura "Poor Sakura-san, today's been rough on her" the onyx eyed blonde shook his head watching as Kakashi lifted her into his arms then they all trudged back to the village and split up to get some much needed rest.


	34. Heading Home as Ambassadors of Kumo

Partway through the night, everyone in the hotel was woken by a terrified scream, it had them up out of their beds and flying from their rooms in five seconds flat, by the time they'd all made it to the room, the scream had tapered off.

"That's Sakura-chan" Naruto pointed out breathing heavily from his short jaunt down the hall as they burst into the room that was being shared by the only two girls, Hinata was sitting up wide eyed on her chosen bed, while Sakura was in the corner.

Eyes flying left and right in fright "O..One minute s..she's screaming th..then the next she's in the corner I d..don't u..understand" Hinata frowned deeply concerned for her friend, she always seemed so strong and unafraid of anything after all.

Her sensei's features softened as he carefully inched his way forward to kneel before her friend "Sakura-chan it's okay it was just a dream, shh" Kakashi soothed reaching out to pat her head gently, while he looked about for her pack.

Before gesturing to Naruto who went forward and looked through it for the needed items "No, it wasn't just a dream, everyone was dead again, Shisui-ni it was my fault, my fault" Sakura shook her head adamantly tears leaking out the corners of her clenched shut eyes.

Kakashi merely kept patting her head gently in a soothing way "Night terrors…since when" Minato frowned deeply realizing what was going on, her nightmare must have brought on an illusion that had her frightened but he didn't understand how.

"Since the Uchiha Massacre, though she hasn't had one this bad for as long as I can remember" Sasuke slumped his shoulders, of course with the recent events everything she suppressed would come rushing forth, he should have realized it sooner.

Minato paled, and as much as he wanted to ask, he didn't, Naruto finished searching through Sakura's pack and gave a sad shake of the head to Kakashi "Is that why you would always plug in a nightlight back when we were nine on that field trip we took" Shikamaru questioned.

Both Sasuke and Shino nodded "Though it seems that she doesn't have either the nightlight or lava lamp this time and all the shops are closed, why because it's only 4 in the morning" Shino grimaced wishing he could do something more than just stand there like an idiot.

"Do you think it would help if the light was left on Sakura" Kiba offered a somewhat solution to their problem until Shino thought of something much better, his eyes widened behind his sunglasses and he cleared his throat.

Stepping forward "Or we could have Naruto draw her teleportation seal, I know you've been helping her Naruto, then send a toad with a message to Shisui-san to send her the lava lamp and nightlight she uses" the Aburame Heir suggested.

Everyone blinked at him "And that's why you're her perfect match, roger that Shino, I'll get started on drawing the seal immediately" the younger blonde saluted pulling out the necessary things from Sakura's pack.

And starting drawing carefully going off memory alone for the most part, poor Sakura kept her eyes closed the entire time "When Atsui-san cut her, the smell of blood must have really overwhelmed her" the lone Uchiha in the room commented carefully.

Inching forward with Shino on his heels, Kakashi stood back letting the duo sit on either side of Sakura who was as rigid as he'd ever seen the girl "Everything's going to be okay Sakura, we promise, Shisui is fine, he's not leaving ever again" Sasuke soothed gently.

Taking her right hand and squeezing it, knowing this would help her ground herself a little bit "How many of the Uchiha are left" the older blonde questioned when his old student shuffled backwards to stand next to him.

"Only three, Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui, who we all thought for nearly five years was dead, his absence was a blow to Sakura-chan's heart who see's him as an older brother" the silver haired Jonin explained quietly.

Watching how Sakura relaxed at Sasuke and Shino's close proximity and reassurances "Three, what about Fugaku or Mikoto" Minato breathed before holding his breath, those two had been close friends, they just couldn't be gone, they couldn't.

"Gone, Sasuke's been living with Sakura-chan and her family ever since, then for almost a year, Naruto, you wouldn't believe how much that girl cares for those two boys" Kakashi chuckled lightly she'd saved both of them from a life of eternal loneliness.

No one else would have done what she did, not to mention the countless times she'd saved both of them as well, it really was awe inducing watching how she interacted with people to, Minato frowned "So I've noticed, she's almost possessive in fact over them" the blonde pointed out.

Kakashi couldn't argue, Sakura was a little possessive "Because she wants to keep them safe, what with Orochimaru after Sasuke and the Akatsuki after Naruto that poor girl doesn't get a break" the Copy Ninja announced with another grimace.

"Of course that's not all there is to it, those two are practically like brothers to her as well" the silver haired Jonin admitted in a soft tone, eyeing the trio of best friends, they'd been inseparable since they'd all met as children after all.

And a couple minutes later as silence descended upon them Naruto finished his task "Done, now all that's left is to make another, summon Gamakichi or Gamatatsu, send them to Leaf and get your lava lamp and nightlight Sakura-chan" Naruto exclaimed.

Taking an extra moment to look over the carefully drawn seal to make sure it was an exact replica of the one Sakura had come up with, who finally seemed to be coming out of her shell a little, squished between her boyfriend and Sasuke as she was.

In a plume of smoke Gamakichi was before him and then in the next moment he was gone all the way to Leaf, to be more precise the Haruno House "Has something happened" fortunately someone was awake to receive the message.

Even if it was Itachi, he was trusted inexplicably "From Naruto" Gamakichi delivered both note and seal before vanishing in a plume of smoke, leaving Itachi to crease his brow in confusion only to read the note and frown grimly in response.

Before turning harshly on his heel to enter the room he shared with Shisui "Wake up, somethings happened with Sakura" Itachi hissed in his best friends ear, the only thing that would get the stubborn male up to be precise.

For mere seconds after he'd uttered those words did Shisui fly up out of his bed, eyes wide in panic and bloody red at the thought that someone would dare try to harm someone who was like a little sister to him.

Just as he was about to go storming off a note was pushed into his hand "Itachi-chan what's this….." Shisui frowned deeply staring at his friend until Itachi gestured to the note and so with a reluctant sigh he let his gaze focus on the piece of paper in his hands.

 _~Sakura-chan had a nightmare, we had a situation yesterday where she accidentally got injured and it brought back certain memories, i.e the Uchiha Massacre and her subsequent loss of you, would you please send her nightlight and lava lamp through the seal._

 _Naruto Uzumaki~_

With a long suffering sigh and a guilt riddled heart Shisui trudged wearily into Sakura's most sacred space, her bedroom and quickly located the two items in question "There we are and a quick note to Sakura-chan should help ease her mind" the twenty year old said.

Nodding in a decisive way, knowing that he would probably have to keep reassuring Sakura for a very long time that he wasn't going to up and leave her in the manner he had before ever again, with that both lava lamp and nightlight, along with the note were sent through the seal.

"I've got a mission" Itachi informed, having been sidetracked by the rather worrisome note, though he was glad that he'd been the one awake and hadn't left yet when the toad summons had appeared, Shisui nodded and watched as the Uchiha heir disappeared in a flurry of crow feathers.

Leaving him to sit on his bed and try to catch a few extra z's, even if he knew it would be impossible because all he could do now was worry about Sakura and hope that she was going to be okay until she and the others came back from their mission to Cloud.

~Cloud~

Back in the hotel room where everyone was gathered it was utterly silent as they waited for the appearance of the two items needed to make everything peaceful once again, it was agony waiting to be honest but finally after fifteen minutes both lava lamp and nightlight had arrived.

Along with a hand written note, Naruto smiled when he glanced down at it and glimpsed what was written before handing all three things over to Sasuke, who Sakura was clutching to keep herself grounded and not remembering those horrible nightmares.

"Here Sakura, the lamp and a note from Shisui" Sasuke handed two of the items over and plugged the nightlight in where a socket was conveniently located near Sakura's head as she finally released her death grip on his hand to hold the lava lamp instead.

Though she reluctantly let Shino go as well to read the note that had been written to her by Shisui, she took it carefully in her hands, afraid to see what was written only to let out an extremely relieved sigh as her fears faded into the recesses of her mind.

 _~I'm here and I swear on my life and honor that I will be here to never leave you again like I did Sakura-chan, it's okay don't let your fears consume you because their nothing but false images, none of it is real and I'll be here when you get home._

 _Much Love Shisui~_

Panic fading away, allowing her to come back to reality after nearly an hour, Sakura crushed the note to her chest, leaned her head on Shino's shoulder and let her eyes close while gripping Sasuke's hand once again to keep him next to her as she fell asleep.

No longer afraid of what she would see now that she'd had full reassurance from the one who had come back to her after five years "Yikes" Kiba grimaced, unsure of what to say really after all he'd witnessed that morning.

"How does she even manage on a day to day basis" Shikamaru rounded on Shino, Sasuke and Naruto, eyes narrowed with a glint of anger in their depths, with how put together she seemed all the time this was a shock to the system.

All three boys sighed "By not thinking about it and therapy sessions with Inoichi Yamanaka, I go to sometimes" Sasuke admitted leaning back against the wall now that Sakura had a death grip on his hand once more.

She wouldn't be letting him go anytime soon "P..Poor Sakura-chan I c..can't even imagine wh..what it's like for her t..to go through that" Hinata stuttered, much to awake to even go back to sleep like Sakura had.

It was five in the morning anyway "Come on might as well get ready for the day" Kakashi pointed and all but two boys filed out of the room, seeing as neither Shino or Sasuke would dare disturb Sakura or wake her after she finally managed to fall asleep.

And a couple hours later when it was the usual time to get up Cee appeared to kidnap the two medics on the team as he usually did "Uh where's Sakura-san and Sasuke-san" Cee frowned in confusion looking to the Jonin.

Who grimaced "Well Sakura-chan had a nightmare last night, four this morning to be precise, we had a devil of a time getting her to go back to sleep" the silver haired shinobi nodded at the door to the hotel room Sakura occupied.

Cee quietly cracked it open to peer within and found who he sought still knocked out snoozing the morning away "Do you know why she had a nightmare" the blonde asked as he shut the door, deciding that he could let the kids rest, they'd done a lot yesterday after all.

"Most likely when she smelled blood the memories of that day that had been buried manifested in her dreams, she thought Shisui was dead again" Kakashi sighed making the other man cringe in response at the answer.

Before he shook his head slowly and headed off, Amai was definitely confused when he showed up without Sasuke and Sakura but Cee just shook his head again indicating to not ask at the moment so they simply got to work.

During this time Kakashi had also decided to give his students a break "Your sure Kakashi-sensei" Naruto asked and Kakashi nodded so Naruto sighed and headed off after his teammates and Minato watched him go with a frown.

"They just fall apart without her" Minato commented seeing them practically dragging their feet, depressed, showing how much they did care about Sakura, despite their answer how Sakura wouldn't need any of them to rescue her.

Kakashi nodded, also a little depressed himself, sue him he cared about Sakura as well like a little sister, and so for the next couple of hours they wandered the Hidden Cloud Village until Ay cornered them "Hatake you better…did something happen" Ay paused mid snarl.

As a weary expression appeared on the visible part of Kakashi's face "Sakura had a nightmare early this morning, it was kind of horrifying to witness really" Kakashi explained "I gave my students the day off, I apologize for not informing you" he added afterwards.

Cursing himself for forgetting "Nightmare huh, eh forget it, that brats done enough, your brat students as well, hell take the next couple of days off to and just enjoy your time here" the Raikage declared, having a soft spot for Sakura and those two boys.

Minato creased his brow "Hold on Ay-san, why do you care so much about those kids anyway" the blonde stopped the other man from turning and heading back to his office to work on paperwork, Ay rolled his eyes.

But turned back around "Listen Namikaze, I know the blonde brat is yours, but he was nearly killed two times when I stayed with him and the other two brats, I watched the pink brat practically toil her life away just to keep those two idiots safe, so of course I care" Ay snorted.

A little irritated that his question was being mocked somewhat "And how do you think Sakura-san would feel if she learned my son was a jinchuuriki" Minato crossed his arms but Ay didn't even flinch at the news.

"She already knows Namikaze and do you know what she said, that the beast wasn't the brat, because to her, he's always been the blonde brat, you know her parents adopted him right" the Raikage raised a brow.

Easily getting under the former Hokage's skin as Minato straightened looking angry before slumping in defeat "There, there Minato-sensei, Mebuki-san and Kizashi-san would understand" Kakashi clapped his former sensei on the shoulder in reassurance.

Knowing the couple that had adopted Naruto "How can you be so sure that they'd understand, and what about Naruto" the former Hokage said not seeing how anything would ever be right again now that the news had come out.

"Cause my parents aren't your average couple Lord Fourth and if explained properly Naruto would be ecstatic" Sakura appeared out of no where looking like death warmed over from her nightmare and Ay's face hardened.

Minato jumped at her sudden appearance followed by the sweet smell of cherry blossoms "Was that the body flicker and you only say that because children are biased by their parents" Minato frowned at the young girl.

Sakura snorted "Yeah sure I'm definitely biased, their crazy, my dad's a loon and my mom's so strict that she hits people with slippers, the point is Lord Fourth, they won't begrudge you the opportunity to be Naruto's Father, but to them and me he'll always be family" the rosette scoffed.

Not up to being holy nice right now "Hits people with slippers" Ay asked in disbelief, sure he'd heard some stories about the couple that he had yet to properly meet, but never had he heard that one before, then again who wanted to tell anyone they were hit with a slipper by a civilian woman.

The girl nodded sagely "Mhm, me, Sasuke and Shisui-ni and Lord Fourth yes that was the body flicker earlier, Shisui-ni taught it to me when I was eight" Sakura answered, looking more and more tired the longer she stood there.

"Silly girl, why don't you go back to sleep for a bit" the Copy Ninja gestured Sakura off and she smiled sweetly at him before turning to Ay who simply raised a brow knowing that she was about to say something important.

Proving him right in the next moment when she held out a scroll "Got this from Katsuyu-sama a bit ago it's from Shishou, why she didn't just send it to you Raikage-sama I don't know but it was meant for you" the pinkette said.

Before rushing off back to the hotel, whether she'd get anymore sleep remained to be seen though, "One would think due to how much she talks about the man, that Sakura-san is in love with Shisui-san, not Shino-san" Minato commented.

Slightly suspicious "Minato-sensei, Sakura loves Shisui-san as a brother, perhaps once she had a crush on him but that was when she was a child, but right now the one who holds her heart is Shino-kun" Kakashi informed.

Ay nodding along because he'd seen how the betrothed couple interacted with one another, they truly cared about each other, then at that he headed back to his office as he'd intended to do earlier and read the letter Tsunade had sent him.

During this time since Sakura had shooed them off to hopefully sleep for a bit more Sasuke and Shino found themselves wandering the Cloud Village together "That was crazy this morning huh Shino" Sasuke grimaced as they window-shopped.

"Indeed, why because I've never seen her have such a violent nightmare before, was that a regular thing back when we were eight" Shino nodded, looking intently for something, for what Sasuke didn't know so simply followed along.

But did answer the question that had been asked "They use to be much worse until we got the lava lamp at the festival in Tanzaku on that field trip, I don't think it's so much the light that helps her, it's something to hold on to that helps her" the Uchiha admitted.

Explaining why he thought the lava lamp helped so much more than the nightlight ever did, though that was a crucial part of keeping Sakura from having nightmares "Hmm" the Aburame heir hummed still searching intently.

Until they came across a shop that sold exactly what he was looking for and who would be inside none other than Darui "Didn't Cee take you for the hospital this morning" Darui raised his brow at Sasuke who shrugged.

Not knowing if Cee came at all since he'd been asleep "If he did show up I must have missed him because I was still sleeping, Sakura had a nightmare this morning and it took an hour to calm her down" Sasuke said.

And the older male blanched at the admission "What on earth would she have a nightmare for" Atsui, one of the shinobi he and Sakura had gone to help and the most probable reason Sakura had, had a nightmare asked.

"The smell of blood overwhelmed her from yesterday and the memories of his clan's massacre manifested in her dreams last night" Shino answered, Atsui paled and Darui tapped his friend on the shoulder and shook his head.

Silently telling the other man that it wasn't his fault really "Is she still asleep" the dark skinned male questioned gently, hoping that she was actually getting some rest and not just laying awake thinking about whatever her dreams had conjured.

"Well she shooed us off so I assume" the ebony haired teenager sighed, taking a look around him only to find Shino had wandered down a different aisle, leaving him behind, so with a wave at the two Cloud Jonin hurried off after his friend.

And found him four aisles over looking at Sasuke did a double take, stuffed toys, actually they weren't toys at all but chakra powered lights in the shape of different kinds of bugs "Do you think she'd like it" the brunet heir asked unsure of himself all of a sudden.

Sasuke couldn't help but grin "No Shino I don't think she'd like it….I think she'd love it" Sasuke teased just to see Shino flustered for once, there a flush rose to his cheeks and he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight and wish he had a camera on him.

Lucky him it seemed as Shino held out a camera "Sakura will most likely enjoy seeing me flustered like this" Shino cleared his throat, embarrassed but willing to do anything to see his most cherished person smile again and never have another nightmare so long as he lived.

Just like that Sasuke pressed the button and took a picture "Now which one are you planning on getting" the third remaining Uchiha in existence asked looking over the different types of bugs they had on the shelves.

One so happened to catch his eye and as he reached for it so did Shino and their heads cracked into one another "Seems we had the same idea" the Aburame heir held his aching head with one hand and the one that looked like a panda ant in the other.

Sasuke nodded and quickly healed himself and Shino of their aching craniums "Lets go" Sasuke said once the green glow had faded from his hands, more than proud of himself, he'd done something that probably no one in his clan would have ever imagined he would do.

"Yes and get this to Sakura" Shino nodded, pleased with the selection that had been made and moments later once the item had been bought they were on their way back to the hotel, where they carefully sneaked into Sakura's hotel room.

And found her tossing and turning, but when they went to switch the lava lamp with what they'd bought, Sasuke and Shino found that easier said than done "Kami even in her sleep she has a death grip" the ebony haired teenager groaned.

Realizing that it would be impossible "Quite, though we should have known that from how hard she was gripping your hand when we woke up" the brunet heir pointed out, trying to figure out something but not thinking of anything at that particular moment.

When they had thought long enough the duo prepared to just leave Sakura to her disturbed rest, before they could turn though the door creaked open "Sa..Sasuke-kun, S..Shino-kun what a..are you doing" Hinata asked as she entered her shared hotel room with Sakura.

Both froze "Well we got Sakura something new, a chakra powered light up panda ant, we were going to switch out the lava lamp, but we underestimated her strength even in her sleep" Sasuke explained knowing he didn't have to feel guilty despite freezing.

Hinata covered her mouth and dissolved into quiet giggles "Oh you t..two are so..something else, h..here let me" the blue haired heiress hurried forward and ever so gently pressed a pressure point that allowed Sasuke and Shino to switch out the lava lamp.

"There, that's much better" Shino nodded in acceptance when almost immediately the tension in Sakura dissipated and her tossing and turning slowed until she was resting peacefully, and he couldn't resist taking a photograph, after turning off the flash of course.

No need to disturb Sakura again now that she was relaxed "Ri..Right, we..well I only came to get m..my wallet so s..see you Shino-kun, S..Sasuke-kun" Hinata waved quietly, leaving the boys to their watch as she grabbed her wallet and quietly left the room again.

It was a couple hours later that Sakura woke alone but feeling more rested than she expected "Huh what's this" Sakura yawned, instantly noticing that she wasn't holding her usual lava lamp instead it was something in the shape of what eerily looked like a panda ant.

And it glowed, which meant it was a chakra powered light shaped like a bug, there were only two people who would get her something like this and she couldn't help the smile that lit up her features as she spread out her senses, intent on finding the duo.

Once she was dressed of course, they were eating with the others in a restaurant when she found them "Kami do you have to do that every time" Kiba shuddered at her sudden appearance, because they'd only just checked on her twenty minutes ago and she had still been asleep.

Sakura grinned much more lively than earlier that morning "Sorry, I don't mean to startle anyone" the pinkette giggled, emerald eyes sparkling with happiness, it wasn't quite what they'd expected after her night terror.

"Okay, so what are you doing here then" Shikamaru grunted, seated next to Kisame of all people, who definitely looked uncomfortable, at the question Sakura's smile widened even more and he couldn't help but be confused.

Across from him, Hinata hid her own smile as she realized why Sakura was so happy "Thank you, Sasuke, Shino-kun" Sakura murmured taking a seat in between the two boys who avoided her knowing looks.

They just couldn't hide anything from her it seemed "Wait what are you thanking those two for all of a sudden Sakura-chan" Naruto asked, scratching his head, confused like Shikamaru, who still didn't understand in the least.

"Ah well these two got me a chakra powered light up in the shape of a panda ant" the rosette explained more than a little happy because for whatever reason the new item had helped immensely, helping her actually rest.

Minato who was sat beside Kakashi looked to his old student who shrugged "Panda ant, I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing" Minato questioned, trying not to ruin the good mood that had settled over them the moment Sakura had appeared.

His earlier statement of how the others fell apart without her rearing it's head again "A species of wingless wasp, when I was eight I found a pair and they bred like crazy, Lord Third gave me a reward for saving them since they were nearly extinct" Sakura admitted.

Practically bouncing in her seat "Sheesh slow down there Sakura-chan, you'll put the knucklehead to shame with your exuberance" Kakashi chuckled teasingly and she had the grace to blush and smile at him sheepishly.

Just as a waiter came around to take her order "But it's go..good y..your doing so well a..after the scare f..from this morning" Hinata piped in when the waiter wandered off to put in the new order and Sakura nodded, relieved herself.

"What do you mean scare from this morning, did something happen Pinky, did those two come back and try to get at you" Kisame butt in and Sakura immediately focused her attention on him, trying to decide whether she wanted to say.

In the end though she just shrugged "Had a nightmare, it was a really bad one is all, nothing to worry about Hoshigaki-san" the fuscia haired Chunin waved his concerns off and Kisame huffed at her and then her order came and she dug in, obviously hungry.

Kiba was full blown grinning "You know I didn't think it was possible for someone to inhale their food like that and still eat with manners" the Inuzuka heir laughed and Sakura rolled her eyes at him and spoke after swallowing her latest bite.

"Eat with my Mom at the table you'd learn real quick Kiba" Sakura snorted lightly, Naruto and Sasuke nodded sagely in answer, knowing how strict the woman was about manners, it was either eat with manners or be whacked with a spoon.

Again Minato was massively confused "Can't be any worse than my Mother, who's very strict and nags your ear off if you don't behave" the Nara heir scoffed lightly, grateful that Sakura was doing well now unlike how they'd all seen her earlier that morning.

Sakura pursed her lips while Sasuke shuddered "I've been living with Sakura for over five years now, believe me anything your Mother could dish out would probably pale in comparison to what Mrs. Haruno could in regards to table manners and she doesn't nag" the raven said.

"Yeah, yeah she whacks you with a spoon believe it" the blonde knucklehead burst out remembering the many times he'd been hit over the head with Mebuki's wooden spoon until he'd finally learned the art of eating with manners.

Shikamaru still looked a bit dubious until Kiba remembered something "Oh yeah that's right, she even got me once when we stayed the night before the survival round of the Chunin Exams" the Inuzuka heir blurted.

Causing Hinata to giggle as she to remembered "Th..That's right, th..though you did earn th..those whacks fo..for being to row..rowdy at the table" the blue haired heiress pointed out, stuttering but not as badly as usual.

Prompting chuckles from the adults or a grimace in the case of Kisame "So when do you think we'll be heading to Leaf" the Shark-nin questioned tired of the previous conversation and wanting to get a solid time frame for when they'd be leaving Hidden Cloud.

Kakashi straightened with a sigh "Probably within the next couple of days, we've done all we could here in Cloud, and I want to make sure we're all rested before we set out for home, also you might need to inform Hokage-sama about Kisame here" the silver haired nin said.

Looking to Sakura who nodded seriously "Which reminds me, how exactly did you come up with your own transportation seal" the former Hokage at the table asked, having wondered since earlier that morning.

Here Sakura grinned yet again "Naruto actually helped me come up with it, we made it together based off your old one but unique enough that it's not a copy" Sakura chattered excitedly, going into great detail about her seal.

Making many at the table supremely confused, while only about five of the occupants actually understood what she was talking about and even following along somewhat "And get this those two will be teaching fuinjutsu to academy students believe it" Naruto admitted.

"Wait what, when did that happen, aren't you a little young" Minato questioned, previous thoughts derailed as he learned yet another strange thing about Sakura, and Sasuke as well, they had to be the youngest academy instructors in existence.

But at his question they shrugged "Doesn't matter so long as we know what we're teaching, plus it will only be one class we'll be teaching indefinitely and we have no idea which one it is until a couple months from now" Sasuke shrugged.

"Though there will be weekend classes and summer training classes, even tutoring should the need arise in the next batch of academy students" Sakura added cheerily, polishing off the rest of her lunch as she did so.

And the finishing touch on the conversation was Naruto chiming in with "Me and Sakura-chan are the ones who came up with the new academy curriculum" Naruto exclaimed, prompting Minato to scratch his head and look to Kakashi yet again.

Only his former student shrugged looking about at shocked as everyone else minus Shino "Pinky your probably the weirdest brat I've ever met" Kisame snorted, also finishing off his food, just grateful that he was not being held in a cell.

He knew the reason though was that the Raikage was fond of Sakura and he somewhat trusted her judgement "What a drag but Hoshigaki is right" Shikamaru drew a hand down his face in response, agreeing with Kisame.

Sakura stuck her tongue out "Different Shikamaru, Hoshigaki-san that doesn't constitute as being weird" the rosette reminded as she grabbed for her wallet only to realize she didn't have it on her for once.

Thank goodness for Shino who paid for both their meals "You can just pay me back later Sakura" the Aburame heir soothed knowing how she felt about this sort of thing, even if it wasn't a date in any capacity.

"Kami" Kiba groaned, glad that his Ma hadn't decided to throw him at the deep end and betroth him to some girl, it was weird enough seeing his classmates all lovey dovey and being an Inuzuka would make those feelings much worse for him.

Naruto fake gagged though as they all paid for their meal and left the restaurant to enjoy their last couple of days in the Cloud Village doing whatever they wanted "Oh hey Sakura-chan do you think Mrs Haruno and Mr. Haruno would like souvenirs" Naruto asked suddenly.

Want to get the couple something nice for all they'd put up with, Sakura perked up as did Sasuke while Shino chuckled "He doesn't call them Mom or Dad" the revived Hokage questioned in confusion yet again.

Brows knitted "Nor does Sasuke-kun, both of them have simply accepted that Mebuki and Kizashi love them without pushing boundaries" Kakashi explained, understanding all this had to be a huge shock to the system for his former sensei.

Minato sighed and instead turned his attention on the teenagers or almost teenagers as they realized that yes they had a break and could do their own thing, followed by scrambling to all corners of the village they were in.

During this time Sasuke, Shino, Sakura and Naruto had gone back to the hotel so that Sakura could get her wallet "Here you go Shino-kun" Sakura smiled, handing over the amount her meal had cost and Shino simply took it without a word.

Until the four of them wandered out and around the village "Oi isn't that the girl Darui, didn't you say she had some kind of nightmare this morning" Karai raised a brow at his companion when they spotted the quartet going from store to store.

Looking for souvenirs if he had to guess "That's the kid alright and more than likely she's trying to put the whole thing out of her mind by acting as normal as she possibly can" Darui sighed, eyeing Sakura from the distance they were at.

Obviously whatever Sasuke and Shino had been looking for earlier had massively helped "It's a wonder how she even functions" the older of the duo frowned, easily able to tell that Sakura wasn't at one hundred percent.

Darui shrugged "Dunno Karai, but I'll tell you one thing that girl once something gets in her head she does everything in her power to accomplish it" the ivory haired Jonin said, remembering how she'd trained during the Chunin Exams.

"Yeah I think I can see that, I mean look at yesterday for example if that goofy blonde kid hadn't of gotten distracted we would have taken the Akatsuki out by three more members" Karai commented, watching as the kids stopped and looked into a stall.

Before Sakura pulled out a roll of light green material and from the distance they were they were able to hear what she said "Might be able to make a weapon out of this, like the wire manipulation technique, you can use it for other things like ribbons" the pinkette grinned.

Probably already thinking over the pro's and cons of such a weapon "And there she goes again, always thinking about what she can do to improve herself" Darui snorted lightly, though he did wonder how she would go about doing that.

It was question to ask some other time as they continued on after the Chunin until the sky started growing dark on them, Sakura was clearly still not a fan of the dark, considering she was the first one back to the hotel.

"Relax Sakura you have the nightlight and the new thing Sasuke and I bought you" the Aburame assured when panic gleamed in Sakura's eyes as they stopped in front of her and Hinata's shared hotel room.

Sasuke nodding along in agreement to what he said "But should you need us, please don't hesitate to come to either of our rooms okay Sakura" the third to last Uchiha in existence offered, even if it meant possibly sleeping on the floor.

They would do anything to erase that fear in her "Me to Sakura-chan, I'm here as well as are Shikamaru, Kiba and Hinata-chan" the blonde Uzumaki chimed in, prompting Sakura to pull them into bone crushing hugs before disappearing into the room.

"Afraid is she, hmm I guess I suppose I would be to, if I had a nightmare like what she had this morning" the Nara heir grumbled seeing the three boys milling about in front of the girls shared room looking awkward and slightly pitiful in Naruto's case.

Who couldn't stand any of his friends being in any sort of pain whatsoever "Sakura will be just fine you guys really stop worrying all the time" the Inuzuka heir snorted, not to sure of himself on that matter but it was all he could say.

Like that Naruto and Sasuke turned into their own shared room after bidding the others goodnight "G..Goodnight" the Hyuga Heiress called out softly and hurried into the room, shutting the door behind her and turned to find Sakura partially dressed, only having her shorts on at that moment.

Before swiftly donning a pyjama top to be more decent and soon all them were in bed asleep, it was halfway through the night that Kakashi got up to check on the genin and Chunin "Kakashi-kun" the former Hokage frowned.

Seeing his former student headed from the room "Just checking on them Minato-sensei, we don't want a repeat of yesterday morning I assure you" the Copy Ninja explained, not want to experience what he had the other morning ever again.

Minato couldn't argue with that logic and also worried followed Kakashi from the room to check on the others, Sakura being the main focus of their check who they found resting peacefully before peeking in on the rest and found them just as asleep before returning to their room.

Kisame snorted in his sleep as they crept back into the hotel beds and laid back down to get some more shut eye until it was morning "We're leaving today right" the blue skinned rogue asked, impatient to get out of the Cloud Village.

To his relief Kakashi nodded as he went around telling the brats to pack their things that after breakfast and one last meeting with the Raikage they were going to leave and head home and once they'd all eaten their filled headed for the Raikage Tower.

And gathered before Ay one last time "Right, I really do appreciate all you brats have done since arriving, so in thanks I give you these, you are now considered Kumogakure Ambassadors and welcome at any time in my village" Ay informed.

Handing over metallic plates with the Kumogakure insignia on them "Isn't that great Sakura-san, Shino-san, Sasuke-san, your ambassadors now" Cee patted each teen on the shoulder, smirking all the while at their stunned expressions.

The only two who didn't get the badges were Minato and Kisame "So long as the next time you come here, it's on a break where you won't be pulled into such an emergency like that again" the ivory haired Jonin snorted.

Patting the teens on the shoulders himself "Agreed" his blonde haired partner nodded before taking up his place at the back of the room again as Ay cleared his throat directing all attention back on to him.

"On that note, may you have a speedy yet safe trip back to Konohagakure" the Raikage said, sending the enlarged group off with well wishes as they bowed and headed for the gates, eager to return home after what seemed like so long.


	35. Going Home & Meeting the Samurai

Five hours later after leaving Kumogakure behind Sakura wanted to scream in frustration and curse at the gods of the universe for making them such danger magnets all the time when all she'd wanted was a nice peaceful trek back home.

Could she get that, no, why, because they just had to be surrounded by bloody freaking samurai who all had their swords pointed at them and charged with chakra, Naruto opened his mouth but she stomped on his foot lightly in warning.

Shaking her head, Kakashi glanced at her from over his shoulder, then nodded at her "Is there a problem Samurai-san" Sakura inquired, being the advocate of peace as she was, she could probably talk them out of any rash actions, hopefully.

The samurai didn't so much as even make a peep in response, merely kept their swords aimed directly at them "We were told a large group of shinobi would be heading this way from Kumogakure to attack us" someone finally spoke after several minutes of silence.

Everyone shared confused looks "No offense but we didn't even know you were here in the first place so why would we attack you, especially when all we want to do now is get home to our village" Sakura frowned, mind whirring, who would say such a thing.

"He said you would know him" came the answer, confusing the Leaf Shinobi even more until something clicked in Sakura's mind "He didn't give us a name but he had gray hair much like Hatake Kakashi" another samurai explained.

Not lowering his sword an inch "Of course it has to be bloody freaking Yakushi" Sasuke spat suddenly breaking his silence over the matter, apparently the samurai took this as an admission and went to strike.

When a hand grabbed hold of the sword "Just because we do know him doesn't mean anything, I would appreciate you not attacking when we haven't done anything to provoke you Samurai-san" Sakura's voice was chilling.

Even as she released the sword and stood in front of Sasuke hand bleeding though she didn't look and Sasuke healed it for her before looking to his feet guiltily "But on that note I would just like to say that you were used, he's not an acquaintance we're particularly fond of" Sakura elaborated further.

Looks were exchanged between the group of samurai before one stepped forward and took off their helmet "What possible reason could this Yakushi-san have had for deliberately lying to us then" the newly unveiled samurai inquired.

Sakura eyed him a lot more warily now "Mifune-dono I'll take over the conversation from here, the reason is more than likely it was another attempt at kidnapping Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke, samurai are known to be powerful after all" Kakashi stepped forward.

Relieving her of the duty he'd assigned at the beginning of their confrontation "Another kidnapping attempt are you saying he's tried something like this before" Mifune asked wanting more information.

Kakashi nodded "Yes thrice now and though two of them aren't my students, they are equally as important" the Copy Ninja admitted, giving Sakura a fond smile, Sasuke to who rolled his eyes only to have his foot stomped on lightly.

Sasuke edged away from his teammate/adoptive sister at that "Important you say, in what way, their just children as far as I can tell" Mifune didn't look impressed by them in the least, but he was about to be very surprised.

As Kakashi nudged Sakura and Sasuke forward, "Sakura-chan here is the Hokage's apprentice, a respectable chunin who helped challenge our academy's curriculum, is a up and coming medic at our esteemed hospital and even a part time academy sensei" Kakashi gestured to Sakura.

Who blushed prettily in response to the praise "And Sasuke-kun is one of the three remaining Uchiha, the first Uchiha medic in history, also a respectable Chunin who works alongside Sakura-chan at the hospital and also a part time academy sensei" the silver haired nin said.

Pointing to Sasuke who straightened his spine and stood tall beneath the Head Samurai's gaze "Mean, I was the one who challenged the former curriculum in the first place Kakashi-sensei, and the three of us are all budding fuinjutsu masters or in Sakura-chan's case mistress" Naruto sniffed.

Not wanting to be left out "Counting myself in that as well, why because I specialize in barrier jutsu, I'm not a Chunin like those four though" Shino stood next to his betrothed, nodding at Shikamaru who was sporting his own Chunin vest.

Unlike him, Kiba and Hinata, "If all of this is true then why do you allow riff-raff like a rogue from Mist to walk amid your group" Mifune narrowed his steely gaze on Kisame who held his hands up in surrender.

"Look old man I was a double agent alright, they took me into their custody to negotiate a peaceful outcome with my old village and such" Kisame huffed and Sakura shot him a glare that had others stepping away from her.

Sakura did not look impressed "Honestly Hoshigaki are you trying to get us killed" Sakura glowered mentally punching the idiot for insulting the Head Samurai of Iron, honestly calling him an old man.

Kisame shrugged cluelessly "Easy there Sakura-san I take no offense" Mifune assured, lightening up a little bit, even going so far as to chuckle, because she'd just defended him as easily as she had defended her comrade, this also prompted the other samurai to sheath their swords as well.

The situation had been dealt with and Kakashi nodded satisfied "Pity and here I thought I would have my chance to finally take off with them" Kabuto made another appearance, disappointed in the samurai for failing him.

Of course he should have known that the group in question weren't normal by any means necessary case and point Sakura whipped around, leaking killing intent "Fuck you Yakushi like I would allow anyone to be taken by you, not even myself" Sakura spat.

Mifune lifted both eyebrows in surprise at the unmitigated anger the girl was suddenly displaying "That's Sakura-chan in a nutshell all temper and sweetness but she's right you might have got lucky last time, but this time you won't be as lucky to get the drop on me" Kakashi sighed.

Dropping all pretenses as he lunged "Children please stand behind me if you would" Mifune unsheathed kurosawa and charged it with chakra, and despite one of them pouting Sakura shepherded all seven of them behind him.

All of them prepared to fight should it come down to it as Minato and even Kisame joined in on the battle against Kabuto in hopes to take him down once and for all "Just try not to overuse your sharingan Kakashi-kun" Minato warned.

Seeing his student lifting his headband to reveal his ace in the hole, Kakashi nodded shortly, speeding through the necessary hand signs for his signature jutsu "Chidori" he called it's name above the sound that sounded like a thousand birds chirping.

Followed by thrusting his hand forward at Kabuto who neatly dodged the deadly jutsu, "Naruto, he's distracted by them" Sakura whispered suddenly to Naruto who understood what she was saying without it being explained.

With that he unrolled a roll of ninja wire and channeled chakra into it, manipulating the wire after making sure it couldn't be sensed to creep along the ground to where Kabuto was and loop it expertly around the bastards ankle.

"Just give me a signal when you want me to pull" Naruto murmured back, the others of their group watching the fight intently though Sakura had to force herself to keep watching as Kisame got cut but she was glad he was too far away for her to smell it.

Shino on the other hand readied his barrier tags, Naruto's signal came a moment later as Minato tried to sweep Kabuto off his feet "Do it now" Sakura ordered under her breath, Naruto gave a yank of the ninja wire, making the whole scene look completely natural.

Like Minato had really knocked the bastard off his feet "Kakashi-sensei here my barrier seals" Shino called in the next moment when it seemed like Kabuto had gotten the wind knocked out of him and tossed the tags over to the Copy Ninja.

Who caught them deftly pinning Kabuto down completely "Ah, ah I wouldn't if I were you, why you ask well it's because this barrier has the exploding seal worked into it so if you break it, only you will get the backlash of an explosion" the Aburame heir warned.

As a dark blue barrier rose up around Kabuto and he tried to immediately break it, though at his warning the rogue lowered his hand warily "You know the whole point of you kids staying behind that samurai guy was for you to stay out of the fight right" Kisame scoffed.

Meandering over to get healed, Sakura promptly held her breath but did her duty "Quite creative with your techniques aren't you" Mifune sheathed his sword once again, seeing as it was no longer needed and feeling decidedly amused.

Sakura nodded with a smile but kept her gaze on Kabuto "Yeah we've all worked pretty hard even if Hinata, Shino and I still have to work hard to catch up with those four since the three of us are still genin" Kiba admitted.

Promising to do clan training without complaining in order to get stronger "Th..That's right b..but soon we'll b..be Chunin just l..like them" Hinata declared doing her best to be confident while not letting her guard down.

It's all it would take after all considering the last time "So what are you going to do with him" Shikamaru asked of the Jonin, having been prepared to use his shadow possession jutsu if it had been asked of him to help out.

"Good question, seeing as his actions caused quite a bit of trouble, why don't we seal his chakra with these suppression cuffs and hand him over to Mifune-dono" Kakashi suggested, pulling out a set of chakra suppression cuffs from his pouch.

None of his students wanted to know how or why he even had them on hand but each of them were grateful nonetheless when Kabuto found himself bereft of chakra "Know that if your ever in need of sanctuary when passing through iron you are welcome by the samurai" Mifune informed.

Leading Kabuto away and promising to send him to Leaf at some point to be dealt punishment there as well "We'll for sure remember that Mifune-san" Minato nodded glad that nothing had gotten to out of hand.

With that they continued their trek before they had been interrupted and two days later were back home "Congratulations on a mission well done all of you, take this next week and a half off to rest and recuperate" Tsunade announced once they had finished debriefing her.

But before they could all leave her office "Sakura, Uchiha just be warned that as soon as your break is over, you two will need to pick a team of qualified medics to take to Mist and reform their hospital" the honey eyed Hokage informed bluntly.

"Of course Hokage-sama" Sasuke bowed being perfectly polite for once, while inwardly hoping that the mission didn't turn out to be another disaster in the making, Sakura merely flashed her Shishou a tired smile.

Previous mission catching up with her at long last as they began their march home, Minato grudgingly following Kakashi since there were no more empty rooms at the Haruno household and soon they three of them were traipsing in to the house.

Itachi and Shisui heard the door open and shut and were downstairs seconds later "Mebuki and Kizashi had to run to an outlying village for an unexpected sale" Itachi explained the elder Haruno's absence to Sakura.

"Right like they haven't done that before, how long have they been gone, did they say when they'd be back" Sakura yawned, removing her sandals and looking like she was about to crash any minute now.

Though she would like to get up the stairs to her bed first "Few days Sakura-chan, a week and a half" Shisui answered for Itachi who had moved on to greeting Sasuke who was dragging his feet as much as Sakura was.

"Was your nightmare truly that bad Sakura-san" Itachi frowned misunderstanding about why they were all so exhausted, even Naruto seemed like he was about to fall asleep on his feet and the blonde was usually the most liveliest of them all in the house.

Naruto waved his concerns away with a dismissive wave "Nah Itachi just a long mission, not brushing your nightmare off Sakura-chan, but the mission itself was exhausting being kidnapped and all and then helping out around Cloud, then Akatsuki tried to invade" Naruto explained.

Shisui clutched Sakura to him "Relax, I doubt they'll try anything stupid like that now that we're back in Konoha, not to mention we got Yakushi, or rather the Samurai do right now" Sakura grinned viciously.

Before she couldn't smile anymore "Gods you three really are danger magnets, anyway I can see your all tired so go on up to your rooms and get some rest alright, later on expect more questions but for now recuperate" Shisui shook his head shooing the trio up the stairs.

Later on after taking a two hour nap the three Chunin and adopted siblings were back downstairs and much more wide awake than when they'd initially returned home "Okay explain what do you mean you got Yakushi and you encountered samurai how did that happen" Shisui demanded.

Once the teenagers had gotten themselves something to eat and they were all crowded around the kitchen table "Yakushi lied to the Head Samurai of Iron, told them we were going to attack them so they tried to do the same first until Sakura intervened" Sasuke elaborated.

Sakura and Naruto nodding "Anyway once we got the samurai guy all calmed down that bastard came and Kakashi-sensei just kind of went on the attack along with well that fish guy from Akatsuki what's his name Hoshigaki something or other" Naruto continued the story.

Itachi straightened "Kisame is here in Leaf Itachi-san, Akatsuki found out and tried to kill him, anyway well I had Naruto manipulate wire to yank Yakushi down and Kakashi-sensei put chakra suppression cuffs on him and turned him over to Mifune-sama" Sakura finished.

Shisui groaned out loud in response "Gods I don't know how you three even manage to stay alive sometimes, sheer dumb luck I swear" Shisui mumbled to himself feeling like he was going insane and needed to see a psychiatrist himself.

While Itachi looked visibly relieved "Relax Ni-san, Hoshigaki will probably be put on house arrest with Kakashi or something, given a trial and all that jazz but be free eventually since he came to us offering up more information" Sasuke assured.

Looking clear away from his brother who he had started spending more and more time with again "Otouto thanks" Itachi tilted his head in his little brothers direction but did or said no more than that as Sakura popped up.

Belatedly preparing dinner since it was past the usual time "I've got it" Shisui said when they heard a knock so he quickly vanished to the foyer and answered the door only to find Hayate and his wife on the other side.

"Hello Shisui-san, is Sakura-san back from her mission, we have some news that we want to share with her" Yugao smiled, looking lovely in casual clothing instead of the Anbu uniform that she mostly wore even on her off days.

Immediately Shisui moved out of the way gesturing them in "Thanks" Hayate coughed lightly as he took off his sandals to be polite, then the both of them followed the sound of humming which lead them into the kitchen.

Where Sakura was cooking as usual "A bit later than you normally cook don't you think Sakura-san" Yugao commented, announcing her presence with a flare of her chakra so she didn't startle the poor girl who was dicing up some cucumbers.

Sakura swung around, eyes lighting up at the sight of them "Yugao-san what brings you here, how was your honeymoon with Hayate-sensei I haven't seen you since then after all" Sakura chattered carefully setting down her knife to throw her arms around the woman's waist.

Only to feel something off and pull away staring up at the purple haired woman in shock and happiness "Looks like you went and figured it out before we could tell you, but yes Yugao is pregnant Sakura-san" Hayate explained.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table as Yugao did the same "Wow that's great, I'm sure the little one will be happy to have you two as parents but as for your question we were pretty tired and took a nap once we got back so yes it's a little later than usual" the pinkette exclaimed.

Radiating pure unadulterated happiness "And yes we know it's been since the wedding, but we came here today with a request Sakura, you see we'd like you to be our baby's godmother and be our doctor" Yugao admitted.

Giving away the rest of the surprise they had in store for the thirteen year old, Sakura's eyes rounded into dinner plates at the request "Really, you want me to be his/her's godmother and be your doctor as well" Sakura asked.

Looking pretty unsure of herself which made her all the more endearing to them actually "Of course Sakura-san, we want you to think of this little one as your new baby brother or baby sister and take care of them should anything happen to us" Hayate nodded.

And while they knew she was happy, neither he or Yugao expected Sakura to suddenly start crying "I..I'd love to you Yugao-san, Hayate-sensei, you can count on me I swear it on my life and honor" Sakura sniffled.

The married couple shared a fond smile at each other "Right so who do I go to see to request a doctors appointment specifically with you Sakura-san" Yugao inquired, now that she'd gotten the answer she'd been hoping for anyway.

Even though she should have known Sakura wouldn't have refused "Oh uh at the front desk, say you want to make an ultrasound appointment with medic Haruno, Shizune-sempai or even Ittei-sama might be there as well though to ensure the visit goes well" Sakura dried her eyes.

Becoming a professional medic before their very eyes "Good, good, then we'll see you in the hospital soon" Hayate announced, grateful the girl was so kind towards others when they were deserving of her kindness anyway.

Hayate and Yugao stayed for an hour longer, forgoing eating dinner since they'd already had supper, just chatting with Sakura until they bid her farewell "You're a very strange person Sakura-san" Itachi commented.

All of them had heard the conversation from the living room "Huh, oh yeah I suppose so" Sakura shrugged not really bothered by the statement because she really was strange and weird and she knew it to.

Itachi shook his head "Don't bother Ni-san, that might as well have been a compliment to Sakura anyway" Sasuke snorted, finishing up with washing his portion of the dishes and putting them away nice and neat.

Never let it be said that if things weren't as they left them Mebuki would go on a rampage, Kizashi would just sit in his chair and laugh at them for inciting the woman's wrath and they all wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"Yeah, yeah you know" Naruto sniggered, working on a new seal with Sakura's advanced fuinjutsu book, it might as well be both of theirs at this point given how much he'd used the book to practice the seals within it and come up with new and improved ones if he could.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the lot of them "Males, I don't mean Shino-kun of course" Sakura huffed, spying her boyfriend lurking by the door outside the kitchen window that gave her a nice view of the street before the house.

So before he could even knock she had opened the door and dragged in him "How did you know I was here, why because I hadn't knocked yet" Shino asked a little flustered by the suddenness of the moment.

"We were in the kitchen, I saw you by the door through the window" Sakura smiled brightly on a happy high to his surprise and he wondered what had made her so happy since they hadn't been home that long.

Not that he had to wait very long to find out "Guess what Shino, Yugao-san is gonna have a baby, she and Hayate-sensei asked me to be the godmother and their doctor throughout the pregnancy" the rosette practically shouted.

Unable to reign in her excitement making Shino very amused "Did they now" the Aburame heir chuckled softly, curling his arms about her waist and drawing her closer until they were practically nose to nose.

A lovely blush spread across her cheeks in response to his proximity "Mhm, they asked me to think of their child like a little brother or sister and take care of him/her should anything happen to them" Sakura hummed.

Calming down rapidly now in the presence of her boyfriend, it amazed everyone around her that he was able to do it so easily "That was very generous of them Sakura" Shino said, drawing closer until their lips met in a chaste kiss.

Footsteps approaching made them pull apart and right themselves just as Itachi rounded the corner "I have gate duty tonight so I'm going to run through the evening with my partner" Itachi explained as he pulled on his sandals.

"Be safe Itachi-san" Sakura called when he was on his way out the door and got a small smile and a nod in response before the door shut, leaving her and Shino alone in the foyer, until they moved to the living room.

Which was conspicuously empty, Naruto, Sasuke and Shisui probably giving them a bit of alone time "In response to what you said earlier, yes Hayate-sensei and Yugao-san are being very generous about the whole thing" the pinkette said.

Leaning her head on Shino's shoulder as they sat on the couch "Have you rested any since our return" Shino questioned, seeing her eyelids drooping in tiredness, he, himself had spent time sleeping.

So he wasn't surprised when she nodded "Yep, all three of us did and I'm still exhausted" Sakura yawned tiredly, sleepiness catching up to her again to her frustration because she wanted to stay awake a little longer.

Unfortunately the minute Shino's kikaichu started clicking in a soothing sort of way her eyes closed entirely and her breathing evened out, Shino shook his head then lifted Sakura into his arms to carry her to bed, then after informing the others that she was asleep, left for the evening.

~Two Days Later~

Sakura dropped by the hospital and was immediately informed of the appointment with the Gekko's at three that day "Of course I'll be here, I wouldn't miss that appointment for the world" the fuscia haired Chunin intoned seriously.

To Ittei's amusement as she made her rounds checking on how things were going or the other medics progress and scouting medics to take on the mission which would be happening as soon as her current break ended.

Then she headed to Shizune's office at the hospital and sat down drawing up more rules and regulations since she had the time to do so and before she realized it, it was time for the ultrasound appointment.

After grabbing the clipboard with the information on it, entered the room ahead of time to prepare things then went to collect the couple "Yugao-san if your ready we can do the ultrasound now" Sakura called when she saw the woman sitting in the waiting room with her husband.

Both of whom stood and followed her to the set up room "Just hop up on the bed if you would and pull your pants down to your hips please" Sakura requested, having studied up on procedures and such for ultrasounds so that she wouldn't come off as un-knowledgeable.

Yugao smiled in amusement but did as requested until she was resting on the bed, still flat stomach bared, only to shiver as something cold was spread on it "Ultrasound gel for the wand" the pinkette explained, fiddling with the ultrasound machine.

Then after flipping a switch a black screen showed up and she put the ultrasound wand to Yugao's stomach, wiggling it around until an image appeared "Is that" Hayate leaned forward, seeing his child for the first time since they'd found out.

"Mhm your baby, he/she is developing nicely in your womb, ten fingers and toes and I would say your about three weeks along to the date since your last menstrual cycle" Sakura announced in a professional sounding tone.

Impressing the couple with how serious she was taking being their doctor during the pregnancy "So no abnormalities" Yugao breathed a sigh of relief especially when Sakura shook her head in answer to her non-question.

It was the thing she'd worried most about since she'd found out while on a mission that had been harsh on her body "Are there any other questions you'd like to ask" Sakura inquired, taking measurements of the baby to cross-reference during the ultrasound.

Which would make sure the baby was growing as they should be "No I think we've pretty much covered everything, so when do you want us to set up another appointment" Hayate leaned back in the chair as Sakura printed out the ultrasound picture and gave it to Yugao.

"Sixteen weeks is when you'll be able to find out the gender, but if you feel like you need another one sooner don't be afraid to ask for it, your doing pretty good on everything else and if you do have more questions you know where I am unless I'm on a mission" Sakura smiled.

Wrapping up the appointment as professionally as she could "Right got it, thanks for this Sakura-san" Yugao nodded, carefully putting the picture in a folder to show to her friends when she had the chance.

Five minutes later her stomach was cleaned, her pants were back how she originally had them and they were on their way out of the hospital, Sakura washed her hands, told Ittei how the appointment had gone and hurried home.

Three days later Mifune and his left and right hand men arrived in Konohagakure, Kabuto being literally dragged along behind them to the Hokage Tower where Sakura was coincidentally in a meeting with Tsunade about their next training session.

Tsunade was hoping to get one in before she and Sasuke left on their next mission to Kirigakure, their conversation was getting a bit heated when they were interrupted by a knock "Milady, the Head Samurai's here" Shizune called out from the other side a second later.

"See him in Shizune and don't even think about going anywhere Sakura we aren't done with our conversation" Tsunade rested her honey eyes on her apprentice who froze in the process of inching her way to the door.

A moment later Mifune was there before her, left and right hands pushing a seriously bedraggled Kabuto in behind their leader, Sakura decided staying was in her best interests after all as Kabuto caught sight of her, prompting a furious glare.

Until Tsunade cleared her throat and drew his attention on to her "How the mighty have fallen eh Yakushi, first you attempt to kidnap my apprentice, then you nearly kill an entire team and their sensei and finally you get samurai involved, fool of a man aren't you" Tsunade sniffed.

Enjoying herself immensely because the bastard was getting his comeuppance at long last, Kabuto clenched his jaw refusing to so much as even speak a word to her "Do me a favor Sakura, hit him, loosen up that tongue of his if you would" the Hokage ordered.

Sakura eyed her shishou warily but did as asked when the two samurai held him steady for her, a crunch sounded in their ears as she punched him solidly in the nose breaking it and his glasses in the process.

He spat blood on her and she immediately held her breath, grabbing for a wash cloth to wipe the blood deliberately away, "Must be agonizing knowing you could be living your last moments here in a cell in a village you helped nearly lead to destruction" Sakura asked.

Once she was sure the metallic smell had dissipated "Orochimaru will come for me" was all Kabuto said, the two men on either side of him rolled their eyes as if he'd said that several times before and yet here he was in Leaf, Orochimaru hadn't come to rescue him yet.

If he was going to rescue him at all anyway "You sound so sure about that, what if he decided you're a lost cause, hmm, do I detect a flicker of uncertainty, that's right you know he's not coming don't you, after his last failed attempt he wouldn't risk it" the rosette smiled demurely.

At her worst because this man had tried to take away precious people of hers "That's enough Sakura" Tsunade rolled her eyes at her apprentice's antics, just a smidge amused as she called for Anbu who immediately took Kabuto away.

"Good to see you doing well Sakura-san was it, have you had any thoughts to learning kenjutsu, I'm offering to teach you" Mifune greeted suddenly, making a surprising offer and Tsunade wanted to throw her hands in the air.

What happened actually was her letting out a groan "Do you have everybody wrapped around your fingers or something Sakura" the busty blonde growled, grinding her teeth in frustration because she had no bloody clue how the girl did things like this.

Mifune raised a gray brow in response "Er, hehehe I honestly have no idea what your talking about Shishou" the pinkette huffed at her mentor, and she especially didn't have anyone wrapped around her fingers.

Tsunade rolled her eyes "Whatever brat, and I'm sure she's dying to accept your offer Mifune, but she has a mission a few days from now, after that is fair game" Tsunade explained knowing the kid hated to refuse people.

"Hmm I see, a pity but understandable, my men and I will be staying for a few days to rest from our trip, will we see you around Sakura-san" the Head Samurai of Iron questioned of the young girl proving the Hokage's point.

Why else would he go out of his way to ask that "Of course Mifune-dono, if you don't just ask anyone, they know where I live and will show you the way" Sakura smiled brightly, enchanting the samurai even more.

In response she got a little quirk of his lips then the three of them bowed out of the office "Back to our conversation Sakura, tomorrow afternoon no ifs or buts about it" the Hokage informed sternly daring the brat to argue.

Apparently Sakura was to happy to be as argumentative as earlier so simply nodded in agreement "That's fine Tsunade-shishou, I'm going now, if I don't those boys would probably burn the house down" the pinkette snorted.

As bad as it sounded Tsunade knew Sakura was right, the three Uchiha tried to drive the girl insane on a regular basis "Go now Sakura" Tsunade waved the brat off, suddenly grateful for the samurai showing up when they had or that conversation would have been a lot harder.

Sakura dipped into a bow and was gone in a flurry of cherry blossoms, all the way back to her house which was eerily silent and empty to, she even jumped a little when she heard a knock on the door "Oh hey Ino what brings you here" Sakura greeted.

Not having seen her other female best friend for awhile, well not since the Chunin Exams anyway "I was hoping I could drag you out dancing for once, at a new all shinobi club, before you say it yes I know you're betrothed to Shino but it's just a little dancing with me" Ino greeted back.

Widening her pupil-less cerulean eyes, giving her friend the puppy dog eyes along with an adorable pout to go along with it "No boys for me at least, I'm quite happy with Shino-kun as you know" Sakura relented.

Knowing that arguing with the Yamanaka was pointless "Yes, lets go shopping for cute outfits" Ino cheered, grabbing Sakura by the wrist who had to snag her wallet from a pouch hanging on a hook before being dragged back out of the house and down the streets to the market.

"Modest Ino, no low cut clothes for me" Sakura reminded, Ino huffed but nodded as they arrived at their first clothing store, coincidentally one of the samurai with Mifune spotted them and watched them curiously.

As they entered the store and looked at dresses "What do you think, for me Sakura-chan" Ino inquired pulling out a purple frilly dress that was cut way high in the front and extremely long in the back but it suited Ino quite well.

"Nice" Sakura grinned, turning back around to look through rack herself only to have something fluffy dropped on her head by a female store clerk, when she grabbed the dress and pulled it off her head to get a good look at it her breath caught in her throat.

Ino was similarly stunned "You have got to buy that Sakura, that dress was practically made for you, you can just wear a pair of white spandex shorts underneath, find a light pink jacket and matching shoes and you have your outfit" Ino declared.

Ready to do anything to talk the other girl into buying the dress she had in her hands "Don't have to tell me twice Ino" Sakura said, snagging the other things she needed and with that the both of them were set for their evening out.

The samurai watched them disappear into the crowd as Sakura led the way back to her house only to find a couple others had returned "There you are Sakura-chan and hi Ino" Naruto sulked at her, eyeing the other person with him warily, while greeting Ino somberly at the same time.

"Could you be any less enthusiastic about seeing me Naruto, anyway I'm just going to go take this stuff up to your room Sakura" Ino rolled her eyes lightly, sure that she didn't want to stick around for whatever conversation was about to take place.

Naruto seemed to deflate even more at that "I told him" Minato explained vaguely, hoping that Sakura understood what he was talking about and help him out a little by cheering his son up because he couldn't stand seeing that expression on Naruto's face.

"Hmm, so how do you feel about it Naruto" Sakura focused her entire attention on the depressed knucklehead, having figured that eventually the former Hokage would tell Naruto about their father/son relationship.

At her question he crossed his arms "Like crap" Naruto was blunt and to the point and Minato visibly cringed not having expected that his own son might not want anything to do with him, maybe he should have waited until the older Haruno's had returned from their trip.

"Uh-huh so what are you going to do about it, cause sulking and blaming Lord Fourth for what happened won't get you anywhere" Sakura was equally as blunt, but it was this that Naruto had been counting on.

His shoulders drooped "Your like my own personal therapist sometimes, but I dunno what I want to do really and yeah I know it wasn't your fault for dying and all, you were trying to save the village as you so helpfully explained" Naruto sighed.

Sakura cracked a smile and Naruto couldn't help but echo it with a small smile of his own "Just do your best okay, Mom and Dad won't force you to choose" Sakura pat her friend/brother on the shoulder then marched past the blue eyed blonde duo up the stairs.

Leaving them to stare at each other "Sakura-chan's right Mebuki and Kizashi won't make me choose, that doesn't mean I don't want to get to know you cause I do but everything's so weird and awkward you know" Naruto rambled suddenly.

"Come along son we have a lot to talk about it seems" Minato chuckled, inwardly thanking Sakura for quite literally breaking the ice between the two of them after the initial confession and explanation about what happened that day almost thirteen years ago.

It was later on that Sakura and Ino emerged from Sakura's room, Shisui choked on his water at what they were wearing "No absolutely not, I don't know where you intend on going but your not wearing that Sakura-chan" Shisui shook his head.

Pointing at the stairs and standing in the way of the door so they couldn't leave "It's perfectly decent Shisui-ni and Shino's the only one I need permission from to go out dancing" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's right and Shino already said he doesn't mind, we're just going to dance a little with each other, no boys cause Sakura-chan has to be all mature and be betrothed and stuff" Ino announced, Shisui opened his mouth and closed it.

A moment later he heaved a long suffering sigh and moved out of their way "Just don't get into any trouble" Shisui sulked knowing he couldn't tell her what to do, she became a legal adult the moment she received her headband.

Viridian orbs rolled upwards "Really Shisui I'm not the one who causes trouble intentionally, it just finds me, anyway lead on Ino since I don't know where the club is" Sakura snorted before turning back to Ino.

Who took the lead and led her down the darkening streets, "And tada pretty nifty looking place isn't it" Ino spread out her arms, nodding at the building the new club had opened up in, so they flashed their ID's and were let in.

Greeting their ears and eyes was loud music and colorful decor, but the place was decently sized "Oh hey pretty girls wanna dance with us" and almost immediately the both of them were being hit on by a random shinobi they didn't know.

"Sorry but I'm happily taken and we're a little to young for you I think" Sakura rejected, not sparing the guys feelings in the least, Ino giggled but pushed her further into the club where the juice bar was.

And so they sat for a moment "Wanna try one of the drinks first before we get to dancing" Ino asked, nodding at the menu and really wanting to taste the coconut pineapple juice, one hundred percent alcohol free.

At the question Sakura perused the menu herself "Okay, I'm glad they have non-alcoholic beverages here, coconut-pineapple juice for her and the blackberry-lime juice for me please" Sakura ordered knowing Ino like the back of her hand.

Four minutes later they had their drinks "Gods this is amazing, hey what does yours taste like" Ino squealed at the taste of her fruity drink before leaning over and taking a sip of Sakura's blackberry-lime before the girl could offer it to her.

"Ino….pfftt your ridiculous" Sakura tried to sound stern with her friend but in the end the both of them ended up giggling at their silly antics and just because she leaned over and tried Ino's coconut-pineapple before polishing off her drink.

Seeing this Ino did the same and then the two of them joined the crowd on the dance floor to dance along to the music by themselves, fifteen minutes later their feet were starting to hurt so they went back to the juice bar to rest.

Only Sakura spotted one tiny little problem "Mifune-dono what are you doing here" the pinkette intoned incredulously because a shinobi club was the last place she ever expected to see the Head Samurai of Iron at.

Mifune swung around at her voice "Sakura-san, ah as to your question, they were handing out fliers, someone was rather adamant that I show up to this place and mingle as they called it" Mifune explained, eyeing the dance floor dubiously.

"Dono, uh who is this Sakura….wait you said Mifune, as in the Head Samurai of Iron, that really cold place west of Kumogakure" the blonde at her side creased her forehead in confusion before realizing a moment later who she was stood before.

Both Sakura and Mifune nodded in sync, making her have a mini panic attack "Another coconut-pineapple juice for her please" Sakura called to the barista as she made Ino sit before she collapsed on her feet.

And then just because she also ordered another blackberry-lime juice "Then I'll have the strawberry-kiwi sake" Mifune shrugged deciding there was no harm in trying out the exotic alcoholic drinks of the club he was in.

"By the way if it's strange to see me in a place like this, then what are you two doing here without supervision" Mifune questioned of the two girls who were sipping their fruity concoctions quietly and just staring around the club.

Sakura was the one to answer "Ino wanted me to go dancing with her since this is a relatively new place, and technically though people don't want to admit it, the moment we receive our headbands we're considered adults" Sakura explained.

Knowing that it probably seemed or sounded weird to the Head Samurai who sipped at his sake for a moment mulling her answer over "I see so this is something you girls do for fun" Mifune commented, correctly assuming what they were at the club for.

"Yes that's exactly right Mifune-dono, this is what we do for fun, when we are able to and Sakura's not busy" Ino exclaimed, sulking a little and Sakura sent her an apologetic smile in response because she knew that she was often extremely busy.

Mifune rubbed his chin at that, watching as both girls polished off their drinks then disappeared back into the crowd on the dance floor, fifteen minutes later they were back "After this last drink I think I'm calling it quits for the night Ino" Sakura informed.

Because she wanted to get at least some sleep before tomorrow got here "Bummer I guess nearly an hour is okay, are you sure you can't stay a little longer" Ino pouted, hoping to get Sakura to agree by acting cute like earlier.

No such luck this time "Got a training session with shishou tomorrow afternoon, she's going to pummel me I know it but I want to be awake and ready for her" the pinkette shuddered, gulping a quarter of her blackberry-lime juice drink down.

"Yikes okay understood" the blonde grimaced, drinking her last drink slowly until it was all gone, then they both bid Mifune goodnight and she did the good thing by walking with Sakura back to her house before heading home herself.

And the next day everyone heard the loud explosions and felt the earth shuddering as Tsunade and her new apprentice trained against one another, even the samurai who were growing more curious by the minute.


	36. Hidden Mist Misadventures (Part 1)

A few days later Sasuke and Sakura began preparing for their mission to Kirigakure "We just got back and your already leaving again" Mebuki frowned taking note of their behavior after literally walking through the door.

"Sorry Mom, Mizukage-sama asked for help to straighten out her hospital and Shishou wants to get a treaty with Mist" Sakura apologized, sorting through what she had in her pack and adding more here or there as it was needed.

Mebuki huffed but said no more because she knew she couldn't argue, her daughter was a Chunin, her skills were in demand "Don't worry though I doubt anything bad will happen" Sasuke assured since Sakura hadn't had any kind of gut feelings, yet, he realized at that moment.

This did not help in the least "Why so unsure sounding then Sasuke-chan" Shisui scoffed, wishing he could just march up to Tsunade and demand to go on the mission with them, which would probably end up with him just getting decked in the face and in the hospital.

Because the woman would refuse to heal him and forbid anyone else from healing him as well in punishment "Great their arguing again" Naruto groaned when the two squabbled ridiculously until Sakura cleared her throat pointedly.

Kizashi chuckling under his breath when the two Uchiha promptly shut up "Honestly" Itachi sighed, not understanding how Sakura could handle those two like she did, he would have straight up knocked them out if he could anyway.

Disadvantage of no chakra since it had been sealed upon his arrival until everyone was sure he was no threat to the village even with his name having been cleared, though it would be unsealed soon, Tsunade had told him so herself.

While Kabuto would probably spend the rest of his days locked up in a cell in the bowels of T&I completely bereft of chakra "You two never learn" Kizashi shook his head when Sasuke and Shisui glared at each other.

Until Sakura whacked them both over the head "Focus Sasuke, pack for the mission now, glare at Shisui later" Sakura raised a fuscia brow daring her teammate to argue, he gulped but did as commanded by focusing all of his attention on packing.

Ignoring Shisui now as he and Sakura readied their packs "There's just a few things I need to get down at the market" Sakura commented, scribbling a list so she didn't forget anything essential, apparently Sasuke needed some things to as he followed her to the door.

"We'll be back in a bit" Sasuke said, surging forward as Sakura made a hand sign and put his hand on her shoulder in the nick of time to be swept up in a flurry of sweet smelling cherry blossoms and a moment later they were at the market.

Sakura snorted at him but marched towards the weapons shop "Just think Sasuke, by the time we return, we'll be ready to start teaching kids at the academy, can you believe it" Sakura chattered as she searched for what she needed off the rack.

For a moment he was confused until realization hit him 'Oh yeah that's right, nearly forgot, what do you supposed they'll have us doing anyway" Sasuke questioned, picking up random weapons and testing their weight or sharpness.

She didn't seem to know either but chose a set of odd looking daggers "Did you just come along to yack because I don't see you buying anything" Sakura asked as she moved further into the market, eyes searching for what she needed.

He spluttered for a moment "No I didn't just come to yack Sakura" Sasuke huffed then moved off to find what he needed for his pack, when he met back up with her fifteen minutes later Mifune and his two men had spotted her.

And the four of them were talking as she dug through a box and pulled out a cloak "What on earth would you need that for" he asked walking over to them, strange objects of his own sealed away in a storage scroll.

That way he didn't get weirded out looks "You do know what Kiri is like right, subpar temperatures, marshes and swamps, mist" Sakura folded the dark colored cloak as she raised an eyebrow on him.

Making him flush "So I still have a lot to learn okay" Sasuke grumbled digging through the box of dark cloaks himself and picking out a dark blue one while hers was a grayish color and shimmered, she would probably blend in better now that he was thinking about it.

But there were no more cloaks like the one she had "Is there a specific reason your going to Kirigakure" Mifune frowned, having heard plenty of terrible rumors about the Bloody Mist Village and he wasn't sure he wanted the two before him going there at all.

"Remember what Tsunade-shishou said, yeah that's our next big mission, we get to straighten out their hospital" Sakura snickered hardly able to wait until she could order the medics around, they would never be expecting someone like her after all.

Sasuke edged away from her "Straighten out their hospital" Okisuke intoned incredulously, having been previously introduced to the Chunin that intrigued his leader the most and he had a funny feeling they might be following the two teenagers on their mission.

"Yeah, we're medics you see, while I enjoy going on missions, the hospitals my real turf, the place I excel" Sasuke explained, proud of his achievements and his goal to become the best medic that he could be.

Mifune rubbed his chin at that but was interrupted from speaking as another person joined their group "Dare I ask what your in the market for today Sakura" Shino, the last member of their team sidled up to his girlfriend.

Planting himself firmly at her side as nonchalantly as he could "Was just replacing a few things Shino-kun, Sasuke and I have a mission tomorrow" Sakura informed, features softening as she cuddled into his side.

"Hmm and when might you be returning from your mission, why because you have other obligations to take care of" Shino inquired, looking worried, clearly he wasn't going along but that didn't make him any less assured.

Sakura's smile softened even more and then without even thinking about it or who was stood in front of her she reached up on her tip-toes and pecked him on the cheek tenderly "Gah do you have to do that in front of people" Sasuke flushed red at the display of affection.

Looking clear away from the duo in embarrassment despite Sakura's giggling indicating the moment was over "Anyway as for your question Shino, a couple weeks probably longer depending on how bad Mist's hospital is" Sakura admitted.

Not leaving her boyfriend hanging "Oh I see" Shino nodded, amused at Sasuke's antics, before eyeing Mifune who was eyeing them critically, he and Sakura to be precise and he knew what the man was going to ask before the question was asked.

"Betrothed to one another and we're dating, why because we share mutual feelings for each other" Shino said in his own unique way causing the Head Samurai to stare at them incredulously, then a contemplative expression formed on Mifune's face.

The two were ready for him "Your so young, being bound to one another doesn't bother you" Mifune inquired curiously never having seen someone as different as Sakura was, it was definitely a strange thing to witness really.

Sakura nodded "Perhaps, but I've liked Shino for a long time, so no Mifune-dono it doesn't bother me because I know in my heart that he's the one I want to be with for the rest of my life" Sakura admitted softly.

Sasuke let a smile form on his face in response as Shino nodded his agreement to what Sakura had said "Though you can thank the betrothal on our parents, his and ours anyway" Sasuke snorted suddenly over the embarrassment of before.

Mifune chuckled "One last question before you go, Sakura-san are you from some sort of clan, as I heard it betrothals between different clans are rare nowadays as most choose to intermarry" the bald headed samurai who'd introduced himself as Okisuke earlier questioned.

"Nope, I'm a first generation ninja and my parents are civilian merchants and a couple of oddballs" Sakura declared quite proud of herself because everything that she'd done, she'd done without clan backing, technically.

With that the samurai moved on ending the conversation, Shino nodded to Sakura and then both Sakura and Sasuke body flickered back to the house to finish their preparations for the following morning "I just think Tsunade-sama's pushing you to much" Mebuki huffed during breakfast.

And her daughter shrugged awkwardly "All the work of a Chunin Mom and stop pouting Shisui-ni, it's not cute and very disturbing" Sakura said, shooting Shisui an unamused look, prompting a chuckle from Itachi as Shisui grumbled under his breath.

"Don't forget to take your nightlight and light up" Naruto reminded, uselessly as he found out in the next minute as Sakura showed him that she already had those two items stowed away in her pack then she and Sasuke finished eating and cleaned up after themselves.

And with a nod at one another they headed for the door "We'll be back in a few weeks probably, depends on how bad the hospital is" Sasuke waved, following after Sakura who led the way to the gates where they met the other medics they'd chosen to help them on the mission.

More curiously was the Samurai standing amongst the six medics from the hospital "If you don't mind, Sakura-san, Sasuke-san we'd like to join you on your journey to Kirigakure" Mifune stepped forward at the sight of them asking that with a short bow.

Just a little shocked neither teen could find any complaint about the request "Great, we'd love to have you along Mifune-dono" Sakura smiled brightly, signing her name as she did so before letting Sasuke take his turn.

A moment later they were marching down the path in the direction of Water Country, thirty minutes later both Sakura and Sasuke became very vigilant to their surroundings "It's not like we're going to be attacked or anything you know" one of the medics, Naosu commented.

Unworried about the dangers that lurked outside the village, Sakura curled her lip but it was Sasuke who said it "Don't be naive Naosu-san, anything could happen, including being attacked" Sasuke intoned seriously.

Having learned from multiple experiences "Right" the woman grimaced, but kept up with the grueling pace that was being set, others doing their best to do the same as they hurried down the path to Kirigakure, never knowing of the confrontation that was about to happen.

~Two Days Earlier~

Inside a certain Akatsuki base, in Amegakure, like what happened with Minato, someone was brought back, a long thought to be dead friend to the leaders of Akatsuki, he just suddenly sat up, the same age as when he'd died.

Konan and Nagato had no clue as to what was going on as Yahiko stared at them wide eyed after they'd explained things to him "You turned Akatsuki into a criminal organization, how could you Nagato, Konan, recruiting S Class rogues, killing people that's just…" Yahiko ranted.

Looking like he was about to be sick as he gave a little retch but nothing expelled from his stomach "What else could we have done Yahiko-kun, you were dead, that man promised we could see you again if we did it this way" Konan frowned.

Not sure how to handle having her crush come back to life still a sixteen year old "There were other choices like not becoming criminals" Yahiko snapped, brown eyes glaring at his friends who were no longer the people he knew.

With that he made up his mind and stormed off by the time Nagato and Konan realized that he'd left it was to late they had no idea where he'd gone, which unfortunately for him he'd wandered into Fire Country territory and he had no idea he was about to have an encounter the likes of which he'd never had before.

~Now~

Three hours after leaving Leaf behind they were approaching a good stopping point so that the other medics who weren't use to long travel could rest for a bit and they could eat lunch, at this point Sasuke was pretty certain that nothing to terrible was going to happen.

How wrong he was because the moment they stood to continue their trek a streak of orange shot down in front of them and Sakura slammed her fist into it "GET BACK" she shouted urgently as the unknown was thrown with great force into a tree.

It fell over with a crack and Sakura pulled out a kunai "He's not getting up, I think you hit some kind of traveler Sakura" Sasuke pointed out after a moment of the guy not moving, unconscious or dead he didn't know so he activated his sharingan to check and the guy was still alive.

Sakura kept her guard up though "He's no traveler Sasuke, he's the Leader of Akatsuki, I would recognize that hair anywhere" Sakura admitted, heart beating against her ribs harshly in fear, was the Leader after her now as well because two of his agents had gone rogue on him.

She didn't know but letting her guard down would probably prove fatal for all of them "Then allow us to tie him up" Mifune moved toward the downed shinobi swiftly a roll of rope in hands then made sure the enemy was tied up expertly where he wouldn't be able to escape easily.

After a couple minutes of just eyeing the guy warily Sakura felt safe in putting her kunai away only to whip it out again when he groaned, waking up from his impromptu and rather painful nap "Fuck what hit me" he cursed, in unbearable agony.

"That would have been me, so Leader-san what do you think your doing in Fire Country so near the Leaf Village, after Naruto perhaps or Itachi or Kisame maybe, well if you think I'll let you touch them your dead wrong" Sakura glared furiously at him.

Edging closer, brandishing her weapon threateningly "Who're you calling Leader-san, and I don't know who those people are, my names Yahiko and until two days ago I was dead" the orange haired male huffed at the girl in front of him.

"Sounds an awful lot like what happened to Lord Fourth" Sasuke chimed in, losing the tension from his shoulders as Sakura lowered her kunai again, eyeing Yahiko before nodding as she believed him.

With that Yahiko was untied and healed, Sakura kept a careful distance from him after that though believing and trusting were two different things after all "I take it we met, while I was dead I mean and my supposed best friend was using my body" Yahiko asked.

Looking sour about the whole ordeal "Unfortunately Yahiko-san, I assume it was Nagato-san that was doing all that and on his orders I was brought to him while he was using your body" Sakura nodded with a grimace.

Mifune and his left and right hands put their hands on their swords at that "He could still be, being used" Urakaku said not trusting Yahiko in the least, seeing who he was affiliated with, Sakura at the very least seemed to be a little more rational.

As she didn't make a move towards her weapon again, Sasuke firmly at her side "No, Nagato's jutsu doesn't work like that, it has to be a dead body otherwise he can't control it" Yahiko shook his head, glad that Nagato had explained it all to him before he'd just up and left.

"Well what do we do with him Sakura, your call as mission leader technically" Sasuke glanced to his teammate who frowned deeply, then to Yahiko, the others on the mission and finally the samurai before back to Sakura.

Who sighed softly "Turning back is not an option, so the next best is to have Yahiko-san with us, while you send Umo to inform Tsunade-shishou about the situation, then she can get in contact with Jiraiya-sama" Sakura declared.

Yahiko nodded at that, liking the idea of getting in contact with his old sensei very much "Good, then perhaps he can come and get me from wherever your going and take me back with him to Leaf, cause that's who I was trying to find but I got lost" Yahiko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Four minutes later Umo was flying back to Leaf and they continued their trek forward "By the way you have one hell of a punch for a little girl" Yahiko commented suddenly, remembering the pain he'd been in before she'd healed him.

Sakura gave him a half smile, attention on her surroundings more on edge than before because someone could come after Yahiko at any time "She's learning from the best" Sasuke scoffed lightly keeping his sharingan activated.

That way he would see someone coming at them from a mile away, Yahiko deflated slightly, especially when for another four hours no one said another word until they found a place to set up camp in an abandoned cave.

"Check the back Sasuke, create an escape route if need-be then set up as many traps as you can, I'll do the same at this end, Naosu-san please gather herbs, Igaku-san fetch a few pales of water please, Kenko-san collect berries please, Genki, Herasu and Iryo hunt please" Sakura doled out orders.

Leaving the Samurai and Yahiko out because she had no control over their actions and she couldn't command them like the others but soon dinner was boiling away over a quickly made fire, all of them safe within a barrier, an escape route just at the other end of the cave if they needed it.

Yahiko eyed the two teens warily then worked up the nerve to ask a question "No offense but why are you the one in charge, shouldn't they be the ones barking orders at the two of you" Yahiko inquired after a few minutes.

In which they all waited patiently for dinner to be ready to eat "Usually, but seeing who my shishou is, I was put in charge for the duration of this mission" Sakura explained simply, plus there was no way she'd ever argue with Tsunade it would result in unbearable agony probably.

"And the three of us here are simply tagging along, though it surprises me to see how easy protecting others comes to you Sakura-san" Mifune added with a small quirk of his lips, making the girl blush a little.

While Sasuke smirked "She's always been like that" the Uchiha said, remembering as far back to when she'd gotten his pencil back for him, that's when their friendship had really started, she hadn't even cared that she had a bruise as long as he was happy she was happy.

Then Naruto had joined their ragtag group of friends followed Kiba, Shikamaru and Ino, Hinata was mostly Naruto's teammate but Sakura did seem to have a sort of friendship with the girl and Choji kept mostly to his teammates himself.

Sakura shrugged un-repentantly "Not going to argue that huh" Okisuke raised an ebony brow at the girl who shook her head before informing them all that dinner was ready and they could eat now, in fact she was the first one to have a bowl of delicious soup.

Before she sipped at it carefully for a bit, others simply digging in because they were hungry "So another question, do you two usually go overboard or is this just a special one time occurrence" Yahiko nodded at the booby-trapped cave entrance.

"Every time Yahiko-san, Sasuke and I are danger magnets so we can never be to careful really, being excessive like that is a must to be honest just so that we can protect ourselves and whoever is with us at the time" Sakura grimaced.

Glancing out of the cave for a brief moment "And if you think that's bad, you should see our house, it's covered in seals that electrocute you if you try to enter with bad intentions" Sasuke chimed in.

Mifune raised both eyebrows at that, inwardly pondering the strangeness of the two children before him "Whatever for, surely no one would try to attack you in your village right" Urakaku spluttered horrified at what they were hearing.

Sasuke and Sakura grit their teeth "Not now maybe but when we first became shinobi, Danzo Shimura was running an illegal organization called root and he sent operatives after Naruto to kill him just because of what he has sealed inside of him" Sakura growled.

Crushing her wooden spoon in remembrance until it was practically dust "Your friends a Jinchuuriki huh, yeah Nagato told me what his goal was all about and protecting this Naruto won't be easy especially with that Rinnegan of his" Yahiko informed.

Neither Sasuke or Sakura spoke after that simply quieting down until eventually they all laid down to get some rest and three days later, one of which was spent on a boat, the last two traversing swamps and marshes the large group made it to Kirigakure.

"We weren't expecting Samurai to be in your party and who is that fellow there" Mei frowned, worried that the group was here to do something entirely different than what she'd asked them there for and there was also the concerning matter of the extra that she hadn't been told about.

Then again he could be one of the top medics so what did she know "Don't mind us Mei-san, we simply tagged along and have no intention of causing any trouble in your village, these two intrigue us and we'd like to watch over them while their here" Okisuke cleared his throat.

Gesturing at Sakura and Sasuke "As for your question Mizukage-sama this is Yahiko-san, we picked him up on the way here and felt that it was best that he stay with us until we returned to Konohagakure for his own safety" Sakura stepped forward explaining the situation.

Mei narrowed her eyes at that "For his safety, you don't think that whoever is after him would come here do you" Mei questioned now more worried than before, thankfully Sakura shook her head confusing her massively.

"The people who'd be searching for him would probably not expect him to be so far away so wouldn't think to look here so everything's fine for now" Sasuke interjected, hoping they could get down to talking about why they were their soon.

Relieved Mei decided it was time to talk about their mission "You two and anyone you've brought with you will be reforming my village's hospital, it will be a tough thankless job but I have high hopes for you eight" Mei stood.

Intent on escorting the group to the hospital herself, several streets later they were standing before it, "It looks normal" Sasuke commented only to get whacked over the head, Yahiko shuddered and edged away from her warily while Sasuke focused chakra into his hands to heal the bruise.

Mizukage giggling at their antics "Right, shall we go in so that I can introduce you to the staff" Mei suggested and just to be sure Sakura put a cream under her nose that would numb her sense of smell for the time being.

Because she had no idea what kind of horrors would be found on the other side of those doors, a minute later Sakura closed her eyes feeling sick even though she couldn't smell it, blood was painted on the walls in a horrifying display.

Sasuke squeezed her hand in reassurance "Let me handle the clean up part okay Sakura" the Uchiha whispered to his sensitive teammate, despite all her preparations, one could never truly prepare for something as horrific as this hospital.

She shook her head "I'll be fine, besides this is a group effort and if Shishou finds out I didn't pull my weight my head will roll probably" Sakura grimaced, Tsunade was like that after all, then she focused forward as they came to a stop.

Their escort spoke to someone who could have been the Head Medic, and fifteen minutes later everyone was gathered in the largest meeting room "Everyone, Konohagakure has sent us help to reform our hospital, so until they leave, their the ones in charge.

"What ain't no way I'm listening to outsiders Mizukage-sama especially two little brats like them, they don't know nothing of what we've been through so I won't have it" a belligerent idiot shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.

Having suspected this, Mei shot a look at Sakura, who nodded in resignation, in a flurry of sweet smelling cherry blossoms she was before the idiot gripping him by the shirt and lifting him off his feet "Want to say that again" Sakura raised a fuscia brown, at her most intimidating.

Mifune chuckled under his breath as the man paled and shook his head rapidly "Good, glad we could come to an understanding, now here's whats going to happen, this hospital will be cleaned from top to bottom, everything will be scrubbed" Sakura declared.

Doling out the first of the many orders "Until then, all new and current patients will be healed by us, Naosu, Igaku, you two will heal new patients, Kenko, Genki will heal current patients, Herasu, Iryo you two will be with me" Sasuke clapped his hands.

Taking control as well, since he was half responsible for the completion of this mission "Before you all go….Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu" Sakura halted their disappearance, concentrating on the specific summon she wanted and out of a plume of smoke came a larger Katsuyu.

That split into smaller Katsuyu's so that everyone had one "Don't want communication to be an issue, if any of you have a problem, inform me via Katsuyu and I'd like to see the patient records room" Sakura informed.

With that before Mei's very eyes the room cleared out swiftly and she was left to head back to her office to work on paperwork, leaving the Leaf Shinobi to do their job and it wasn't until hours later near dinner time that any of them emerged from the hospital.

Bone tired and smelling like death and disease "Go take a bath Sakura" Sasuke nudged Sakura off once they'd found an inn who would take them, and paid for rooms for the next long while for however long they'd be there, Sakura did just that gladly before flopping down on a bed to rest, Sasuke doing the same in his room as the others did in theirs and they slept the night away.


	37. Hidden Mist Misadventures (Part 2) End

Sakura woke at the crack of dawn the following morning, coincidentally Mifune, Okisuke and Urakaku were awake as well "Well this is quite the surprise" Mifune commented as she stepped out of her hotel room to prepare things for the morning.

"Perhaps Mifune-dono, but we need every spare hour that we can to help reform that hospital into a proper one that doesn't rely on archaic techniques to save lives" Sakura grimaced, having been sorting through records on successful body amputations to save a patient.

Mifune raised a brow but then understood what she meant "They still amputate" Mifune hazarded a guess and Sakura cringed at the mental imagery but nodded, then she moved swiftly past them, down the hall to the kitchens.

Nearly an hour later she was back, Sasuke awake by this point so they roused the other medics, fed them breakfast and then headed for the hospital "Great here we thought we had imagined things yesterday" the medic who'd given them lip yesterday groaned.

"You sure you want to complain in front of her" Sasuke pointed to Sakura, who'd crossed her arms, tapping her foot while giving the idiot a look that sent shudders down others spines, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

Relieved that he wasn't going to say anymore Sakura flashed through the hand signs "Everyone will carry around one of my summons at all times, now get to work on cleaning the rest of this hospital and everything in it" Sakura barked.

Looking around to make sure everyone had a smaller version of Katsuyu on their shoulder before stalking off, "Gods she's scary how do you even handle her" Yahiko shivered, rubbing his arms as he followed after Sasuke.

Because he was stuck with the Leaf Shinobi for his own safety even if he was rather useless "Lucky for me that's not my job, I'm her teammate and friend, but there is someone who can handle her, her boyfriend and betrothed" Sasuke chuckled lightly.

Thinking on Shino fondly, while wishing he'd gotten to come along "Boyfriend, betrothed, the hell" Yahiko frowned, just a tiny bit disturbed at what he'd just been told, Sasuke slanted him a look however as they found an unclean area of the hospital and started cleaning.

Iryo and Herasu following his lead quickly "Ugh this is a pain" Iryo groaned after a short time of scrubbing and it didn't look like the blood was coming off the wall at any point but he kept at it until finally the dark splatter finally started disappearing.

Being wiped away until it was all clean so they moved on, halfway around the hospital they spotted Sakura "What is she doing" Yahiko asked cluelessly, peering into the two-way window, watching as the pinkette stormed up to the medics.

They must have just missed her entering the room actually and then Sakura lay into the medics spectacularly her words piercing into their ears "THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU IDIOTS ARE DOING, AMPUTATION IS ARCHAIC AND OUTDATED" Sakura yelled.

Shoving the moronic medics away from the boy on the operation table "B..But Sakura-san how else are we to heal an injury such as that" the medics questioned, cowering before her as she glared at them furiously.

"Just watch Yahiko-san, this is why the Hokage took Sakura on as her apprentice" Sasuke smirked as Sakura's hand glowed the brightest green and she placed them on the child, healing him of the rather deep cut he had.

When the glow around her hands faded she marched up to the medics "Next time I catch you idiots attempting an amputation I will punt your asses out of this hospital" Sakura snarled, making sure her words were reverberating in their heads before stomping out of the operation room.

"Oh hello Sasuke" Sakura did a 360 as she smiled brightly at Sasuke for a moment then continued on past them, Yahiko pressed himself against the wall in order to not get in her way and breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone from sight.

Sasuke shook his head "Sakura in a nutshell she's as loved as she is feared" Sasuke said, continuing on his way, helping to heal patients here and there now that it seemed that the cleaning was coming to a stop.

The hospital smelling and looking much better than before as they all grouped together for lunch no patient needing their immediate attention thank the kami "So now that the hospital and everything in it is cleaned, what's next" the Head Medic questioned.

Pausing briefly to ask that before eating some more "Good question…patient records, no your dealing with that aren't you Sakura, so that leaves, re-training you" Sasuke grimaced in realization this was going to be the hardest part of reforming the hospital.

It was completely disorganized, the medics were still using outdated techniques and it was overall a giant pain in the derriere "Sasuke you handle that, Iryo, Herasu, you'll join the others healing new and current patients, I'll help with retraining as soon as I'm done with records" Sakura announced.

Clapping her hands for effect and as soon as they were done with lunch, Katsuyu was re-summoned, Sasuke rounded up all the medics besides the ones that they'd brought and headed off for a large meeting room while Sakura hurried to the records room.

Half an hour later she got an unexpected visitor "Ah Sakura-san there you are" Mei poked her head into the room before entering it fully, seeing as she had a bit of business to conduct with the girl and she thanked her lucky stars Sakura was alone.

"Mizukage-sama what brings you here to the hospital today, did something happen" Sakura panicked suddenly, Mei shook her head in assurance, a tiny bit amused at how the girl had reacted to her presence.

Usually it would mean something bad but not today "I merely wished to speak with you, first, how are things coming along, do you think you'll manage to completely reform the hospital in just a few weeks" Mei inquired.

Resisting the urge to cross her fingers in hopes that it wasn't to much for the chunin and their team to handle "Absolutely, Mizukage-sama, while it will take awhile, a week at best to completely suppress the need to perform archaic techniques, the medics learn quickly" Sakura smiled.

Sounding completely certain of herself "Good, good, now Sakura-san tell me something, Shisui Uchiha seemed to care about you quite a bit, why is that" Mei questioned, having a myriad of questions she wanted to ask and get answers to.

"That huh, well, I met Shisui when I was five, we bonded and he became my best friend, then later on he was practically an older brother to me, I am what I am today because of Shisui" Sakura declared, before making a frustrated sound in the back of her throat.

Because the patient records weren't alphabetized "How is it you all learned that he was alive after his supposed death back when the Uchiha Massacre occurred" Mei prodded and Sakura winced in remembrance to that godawful day.

"Shizune-sempai, Tsunade-shishou's attendant saved his life right after he tried to commit suicide and he washed up on the bank of Naka River, then he decided to just go around with them for four years, never letting anyone now he was alive" Sakura huffed lightly.

Obviously still a little sore about that, knowing would have saved her from a lot of heartache even if she didn't get to see him, he would have still been alive which would have been enough for her "So the mission you were sent on, you came back from, was it difficult" Mei asked after a moment.

Letting Sakura sort through some more paperwork first "Very Mizukage-sama, I'm lucky to have even made it back alive with only a bruise" Sakura shuddered, not saying anymore than that because she couldn't, mission details were classified.

Mei pouted a little "I see, one last thing, have you thought about marriage perhaps" the auburn haired woman inquired, Sakura froze and looked at her warily though, mind probably thinking up countless scenarios.

Then in her most politest tone "Mizukage-sama I regret to inform you that I'm already in a formal betrothal contract and that I've already established a relationship with him, my apologies" Sakura stood and bowed, expressing her apologies properly.

"Pity, well I had to try, you'd have been perfect for Chojuro-kun, but thank you for not flying off the handle at me like Tsunade-san would have and thank you for talking with me, I'll let you get back to work now" Mei shrugged with a little giggle.

Before leaving the hospital and heading back to her office "Did you ask Lady Mizukage" Ao questioned once she was sat behind her desk again working on her own paperwork, curious to see if the woman had accomplished the goal she'd set out to complete.

"Unfortunately I'm a little to late in asking, late by how long I have no idea, but late nonetheless Ao, she's already betrothed to someone and in a relationship with that person as well" Mei sighed, more than a little upset over the matter.

There was little she could do about it though "Must be someone her age then if their in a relationship, perhaps that Uchiha brat or it could be Shisui" Ao commented, both guesses wrong though he didn't know it.

Back at the hospital just when Sakura thought she was making progress "Sakura-chan, there's a sort of problem in the training room, one of the medics is unable to even use the mystical palm" Katsuyu interrupted.

With a sigh Sakura reluctantly shoved the patient records away from her as she stood and hurried to the training room, bursting her way in with a loud bang "Sakura" Sasuke grimaced, having wanted to avoid her having to get involve so soon.

"Out with it which one of you can't even heal" Sakura demanded, tapping her foot impatiently because she really needed to sort through all the patient records and freaking organize them, it was proving difficult because of all the interruptions though.

Not wanting to face her wrath, everyone pointed to the idiot who'd given them lip yesterday and that morning as well "Let me see what your doing wrong" Sakura ordered, plopping a melon down in front of the man and stepping back to observe.

Sasuke activated his sharingan to watch on a more internal level as the guy went through the hand signs but nothing happened "Are you even concentrating" Sakura snapped, only to have Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder.

Helping her calm down some "I don't think that's the case Sakura, he simply doesn't have the talent for it, we could put him in pediatrics instead of simply removing him from the hospital" Sasuke admitted, making a suggestion.

That the man clearly wasn't happy with "Look it's either pediatrics or you'll have to find another form of employment that doesn't involve healing" Sakura narrowed her eyes so the man grudgingly relented.

Hours later with barely anymore progress being made Sakura, Sasuke and their chosen medics trudged back to the hotel for dinner "Was it truly that bad in there" Okisuke frowned not liking the exhaustion on their faces.

Even the adults of the team looked exhausted "Oh yeah nothings organized at all and Sakura-san's temper is crazy" Yahiko chimed in the only one who got to stand around and do nothing for the most part since he was no medic.

Urakaku looked dubious at that since he hadn't witnessed Sakura's temper for himself yet, nor had Okisuke, their leader however simply looked amused "Yes she does seem to have quite the temper, but her heart is in the right place so you don't have to worry Yahiko-san" Mifune chuckled.

Yahiko eyed him warily "Sure" Yahiko said slowly, walking after the others now as they headed for the cafeteria to eat dinner and then probably go to bed, reforming a hospital wasn't easy in the least as far as he'd noticed.

~Three Days Later~

Sakura got another visit in the patient records room "Knock, Knock, you in there Sakura" Jiraiya called out, poking his into the room like the Mizukage had three days before hand and she gestured him in with a smile.

"Thank kami your here, I think Yahiko-san's going stir-crazy" Sakura grinned, obviously suffering from the same thing herself, who wouldn't be, being cooped up in a dust old room, sorting through and organizing the abomination known as patient records.

Jiraiya shook his head in amusement "Are you sure it's not you that's driving him crazy, I mean we all know what your like after all Sakura" Jiraiya teased, knowing the girl could get a little crazy sometimes.

In response Sakura glared at him "Pretty sure Jiraiya-sama, anyway he's down with Sasuke where he's re-training the medics, helping them improve their mystical palm and such, I'll take you since I had to talk to him about something" Sakura huffed after a moment.

Grabbing a file to take with her as they headed down to the meeting room, when the doors opened Sasuke paused in the middle of instructing the medics on how to draw poison out of a wound and looked up "Jiraiya-sensei" Yahiko breathed from beside him.

Already heading towards the Sannin in question feeling like he was a kid again and about to burst into tears "Hey Yahiko, do you think you could ever forgive me for not coming to help you when you all needed it most" Jiraiya asked, voice thick with regret and guilt.

Yahiko didn't have to think for very long instead simply nodded "Your here now when I need you most and together we can get Nagato and Konan-chan to stop being idiots, their the bad guys if you can believe it" Yahiko groaned.

"I was already beginning to suspect as much, but don't worry Yahiko, we'll make them see that their in the wrong" Jiraiya assured, not entirely optimistic about it, but he was damn sure going to try and get his old students back to the way they were when he knew them.

During this reunion Sakura had marched over to Sasuke "Found a discrepancy of sorts in past funds the hospital has received, what do you make of it" Sakura whispered, dragging him away from the medics in retraining to show him the file she'd found.

Pointing to where she'd spotted the discrepancy "Hmm odd, I suppose this calls for a sort of internal investigation, try to see if you can find anymore discrepancies like that, then go to the Mizukage and ask who she hands over the funding to" Sasuke suggested.

"Lovely, right, well we aren't shinobi for nothing if we don't use our investigative skills for something then we might as well be useless when it really matters" Sakura snapped the file shut with a long suffering sigh.

Heading for the doors of the training room, Jiraiya gently snagged her arm as she passed by "Hold on, I'm going to be hanging about for awhile if you don't mind, I think it's safer if I escort you back to Konoha when your mission is over" Jiraiya explained.

Releasing her arm almost as quickly as he'd grabbed it "That's fine Jiraiya-sama the more the merrier" Sakura shrugged lightly, rapidly disappearing after that to that records room, where she dug through more folders to find more discrepancies.

There were many of them she found out two days later after having emptied four whole drawers, reorganizing as she went, so with her evidence in hand Sakura went straight to the Mizukage "Whats the hurry Sakura" Jiraiya an unexpected tag-along.

"Someones been embezzling funds from the hospital for years, over 40,000 ryo has vanished over a twenty year time period, I suspect the Head Medic, he's easily over forty and has been around since the time of the Fourth Mizukage, when Kiri was at its worst" Sakura explained.

Extremely annoyed that she was having to work so hard "But your not sure, hence the reason your going to talk to the Mizukage to find out who she sends the funding to, so they can use it for the hospital to get new equipment and uniforms" Jiraiya mused.

Impressed "Yeah, cause the discrepancies are weird, every few months without fail some funding just disappears about 2,000 of it" Sakura sighed, having searched until her eyes ached from reading so much, whoever the culprit was they were smart, but not smart enough thankfully.

"Need something girl" Ao raised a brow when she appeared before him holding a stack of files in her hand, odd enough within itself but Jiraiya the Toad Sage was stood behind her, Sakura nodded solemnly.

Already not liking this "I need to speak with Mizukage-sama about an important matter Ao-san, I found evidence of someone embezzling funds from the hospital" Sakura informed clearly, looking grim at the same time.

Deciding that it was an important matter Ao knocked on Mei's office door sharply "Come in" Mei called from the other side, working on her own paperwork, the two shuffled in quietly, waiting patiently until she addressed them "Is something wrong" Mei asked after a time.

Sakura marched up to her with grim determination "Someone's been embezzling funds from the hospital, over a twenty year time period, 40,000 has been taken in that time, if you could tell me who it is you give those funds to, to use for the hospital it will help" Sakura announced.

Being as professional as possible "Oh, are you sure Sakura-san, because I give that funding to the Head Medic Yoru" Mei's eyes widened in horror over what she had just learned, Sakura nodded grimly in answer.

"All of the evidence I compiled Mizukage-sama, you can see for yourself, it probably is Yoru-san but I'm going to investigate a bit more just to make doubly sure" Sakura placed all the files she had on the woman's desk with a barely there wince.

Jiraiya pressed his lips together and followed after Sakura silently on their way back to the hospital "So how are you going to conduct your investigation Sakura" the Sannin asked once they were well enough away from the Tower.

Sakura looked up at him with a forlorn expression "I'll plant spiders on all the senior staff, study their behavior, note down any suspicious actions for starters then eliminate those who are innocent until all that's left is the suspect" Sakura admitted.

Flashing through hand signs "Good thing there's not many medics on the senior staff huh Sakura" Jiraiya nudged her gently in the side as she finished summoning her red-legged spiders, twelve of them to be precise.

"True, right let the investigation begin" Sakura grimaced, entering the meeting room and swiftly planting her spiders on those of the senior staff discretely, before heading to the front of the room, Sasuke raised a brow at her.

Having seen her actions but she shook her head "Later then, so I take it the patient records are organized" Sasuke questioned, seeing her beginning to instruct the medics on how to use the more difficult techniques of the medical trade.

Really pushing them until the lot of them were sufficiently exhausted, though before Sakura could vanish to her hotel room Sasuke dragged her into his, Samurai, Jiraiya and Yahiko on their heels "Whats going on" Yahiko frowned.

"Care to explain why you planted spiders on those twelve medics earlier" Sasuke demanded to know in the next moment, not understanding yet even though he should already know the reason it was escaping him at that particular moment.

Sakura rolled her eyes tiredly at him "One of them is the culprit embezzling funds from the hospital, it could be the Head Medic but I'm not sure, so I planted my spiders on them to watch for any suspicious behaviors or actions so that I can single out the culprit" Sakura explained with a sniff.

Moments after this admission Yahiko clutched his head with a groan "Ugh talk about a migraine, you are the most infuriating person I've ever met and I thought Konan-chan was bad" Yahiko scowled.

The Samurai simply looked amused "Will you be able to find the culprit though Sakura-san and if you do what will you do with him" Mifune chimed in, curious as to what she would do once she had caught the criminal.

"Probably interrogate him to see if we can get back the funds he's been embezzling, hard to see him using all 40,000 ryo after all, then turn him over to Mizukage-sama, because he will certainly not be allowed to work at the hospital any longer" Sakura said.

Before popping up from the bed Sasuke had made her sit on "Such a strange child" Okisuke shook his head as she bounded out of the room to her own so that she could get some rest, all the medics on the team were pulling their weight four times over after all.

"Indeed" Urakaku nodded, leaving everyone to get some sleep for the night since they were still only in their first week on the mission, with over two more weeks to go and the hospital was still in the beginning process of being reformed.

Luckily however since Sakura was finished completely organizing and alphabetizing things, the medics improvement rate shot through the roof and at the end of the first week, they were ready to start the next step of the hospital reformation.

Dividing the hospital into individual wings, assigning medics to specific patrols and wards which was an even bigger pain in the ass than retraining the medics ever was "Do we have to do this, I thought you were going to put me in pediatrics" the guy who kept complaining, complained again.

Sakura rounded on him, fist raised threateningly and he quickly shut his mouth "Like I'd put you in charge of children, your bedside manner is atrocious, so I'm putting you in charge of geriatrics" Sakura scoffed.

The man narrowed his eyes at that "In charge means that you'll be the one dealing with adding new medics to the ward, assigning patrols and the like, if it makes you feel better" Sasuke explained a lot more calmly.

Just a little amused at how Sakura seemed to get crankier as the days went by "Oh well I guess that's not so bad and I suppose the elderly will be a little easier to deal with instead of children who want to be rowdy" the medic finally relented.

As they arrived at their stop, getting the ward set up properly, Sakura and Sasuke barking orders left and right ~Sakura-sama, Irome noted something unusual, one of the medics on the senior staff has left the hospital when it's not his break~ Shiruki piped in suddenly.

Only heard by Sakura though Sasuke noted her distraction immediately he kept ordering the medics that had been assigned geriatrics around "Which one Shiruki-chan" Sakura whispered to her summons, pulling out a notebook as well.

~Hirata-san, Irome is on him and he seems to be heading towards the village gates~ Shiruki informed, Sakura pursed her lips, gave Sasuke a look who nodded in understanding then she was gone, hot on Hirata's heels.

Masking her presence expertly as she followed along behind him to the gates, watched him sign out, scribbled that in her notebook under suspicious behaviors, met Ao's gaze who simply allowed her to exit the village without signing out to avoid getting caught.

The man didn't even suspect that he was being followed as he headed straight to a dilapidated hut, scanned his surroundings warily, before entering, Hirata emerged fifteen minutes later, dusting off his clothing and started heading back to the village.

Sakura waited until he was gone then dropped out of her hiding place, spying a glint of silver out of the corner of her eye she knew the hut was booby-trapped so she made her way carefully to the door avoiding setting off any of the traps.

Before warily pushing open the door that was falling off it's hinges, it swung open with an eerie creak but she entered it anyway, ducking on reflex when an axe tried to chop her head off "Well, well what do we have here" Sakura smirked.

After lighting the area up with a lamp she had on hand to unveil, the smirk dropped off her face to be replaced with a horrified expression "Gross…well we certainly stumbled onto something criminal in nature" Sakura grimaced.

Closing her eyes for a moment then she gathered up the evidence, of amputated parts, there was no telling what Hirata was using them for, sealed them in a storage scroll, reset the axe as it was before then hurried back to the village.

"Is he your embezzling culprit" Ao asked when she stopped in front of him, at his question Sakura shook her head, looking sick to her stomach, making him wonder at what she'd found when she'd followed that medic of earlier.

Who'd returned thirty minutes earlier "No, unfortunately he's much worse I believe, he was hording amputated parts in a run down hut fifteen minutes that way if you want to send someone to check it out, here's the evidence" Sakura passed him the scroll with the parts sealed in it.

Features hardening at what she was about to do she body flickered in a flurry of sweet smelling cherry blossoms to make it back to the hospital in record time, in the nick of time to as she luckily overheard Hirata complaining about her.

"And that little brat is ruining everything, I've been selling those parts for years and now suddenly we're no longer allowed to amputate just because it's archaic according to her" Hirata ranted furiously unaware that the person he was ranting about was listening.

Scribbling down everything he was saying, the confession, everything even his partner in crime another senior staff medic Nejire "Regardless of what Lady Mizukage wants, I say we chop her into little pieces and sell her, that hair of hers will fetch us a great price" Nejire chimed in.

Sakura shook her head in disappointment "Unfortunately neither one of you will have the chance, Mibojin-sama tie them up in your webbing please" she requested, rounding the corner and throwing her spider summons at the two schemers.

Understanding and horror dawned on Hirata and Nejire at that moment as they realized Sakura had been listening to everything "By the way I followed you and found your stash of body parts, your sick" Sakura informed.

Looking at the duo coldly just as Mei burst her way through the front doors "Mizukage-sama that girl is insane, she's accusing us of something awful, we're good people, we've done our best for the village and this hospital, help us" Nejire started begging.

Thinking that just because the Mizukage was soft they'd be let off the hook "I don't think so, Sakura-san's been updating me and five minutes ago Ao gave me this, I have never been more disgusted in my life, take them Ao, they won't be seeing daylight for years" Mei decreed.

Nejire and Hirata yelled profanities the whole way out of the hospital as they were dragged by Ao to jail cells, Mei nodded in grim satisfaction that at least an illegal business had been efficiently and brutally shut down, then she turned on her heel and left the hospital.

With that Sakura headed back to the geriatric ward "If your looking for Sasuke-san, he took the medics to start setting up pediatrics" Yojo informed, barely looking up from the list of medics under his command, assigning patrol and shift times.

Pleased that the man had calmed down she turned on her heel and hurried off to pediatrics "You move fast Sasuke" Sakura gave him a half smile when she finally caught up with her teammate in the midst of all out chaos.

"Not going to tell me again are you" Sasuke sulked when she remained tight-lipped about what had made her leave so suddenly earlier, though he did take note that two of the senior staff was missing from the hospital.

Sakura shot him an apologetic smile, promising to explain later and so she did "Hirata and Nejire were running an illegal business selling amputated parts, they even entertained the thought briefly of chopping me up" Sakura informed with a disgusted snort.

"Quite the brutal child aren't you" Yahiko grimaced not sure how she could stand exhausting herself day after day like she was, even Sasuke threw himself into work until it seemed like he couldn't move another muscle.

Both Sasuke and Sakura nodded at his statement making Jiraiya chuckle "Nah, Sakura's a good kid, just serious about her profession is all" Jiraiya rubbed his knuckles on her head gently, extremely fond of the girl.

Who would lay her life down for anyone who mattered "How'd they entertain that thought briefly if I may ask" Mifune was curious about what she'd said about two of the medics entertaining the thought of chopping her up, briefly she'd said.

"Oh well Nejire mused out loud that they should chop me up and I rounded the corner a second later, so his idea had only just come into mind and then he and Hirata were dragged away, hence the reason it was only a brief thought" Sakura snickered heartlessly.

Mifune shook his head lightly in amusement "On that note we'll leave you to get some rest" Urakaku bowed following after his leader as they headed for their separate hotel rooms to get some shut eye for the night.

Only to repeat for another four days "Alright that's it, hospital reformation complete mostly, hmm I wonder if we should set up a program between the academy and hospital for seniors to learn how to be medics if they wish" Sasuke mused out loud.

Seeing that the hospital was in working order now "We could try that in our village as well, it could be like a part of the graduation exam, in their last year once they'd learned all the essentials, if they passed they can work at the hospital part-time and be field medics" Sakura grinned.

Excited at coming up with a new idea for the academy curriculum 'Come on then lets go talk to Mizukage-sama" Sasuke shrugged letting Sakura take the lead again while leaving the others of their team in charge of making sure the hospital was run properly.

"To what do I owe this visit, hopefully it's not to tell me another one of the hospital staff is running some sort of illegal business" Mei asked once the two chunin were stood before her, having been waiting patiently for ten minutes.

They both cleared their throats at the same time "We'd like to set up a program of sorts" Sakura and Sasuke said in unrehearsed sync before looking at each other with laughter clear in their eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.

Mei was slightly amused but gestured for them to continue "For students in their second to last year at the academy, any of them who wish to become medics could learn under a medic at the hospital and take the licensing exam when he/she's ready to graduate" Sasuke continued.

Alone this time "That's quite the idea you two, how'd you come up with it" Mei raised an auburn brow at the two chunin, wondering at how their minds worked sometimes because she'd never even thought to come up with such a thing herself.

"It was Sasuke actually" Sakura chimed in, giving her teammate the credit he deserved, since he had actually come along way since stating his desire to become a medic alongside her, with that Mei gave them the go ahead and soon that to was set up.

There was only one thing left that bothered her "I still haven't caught that embezzler" Sakura grumbled a few days before they were to return home, mission completed, no one knew what to tell her really.

Jiraiya was also rather disturbed at the lack of evidence "Maybe you'll get lucky like with Hirata, so don't worry your head about it to much Sakura" Jiraiya ruffled her long pink hair which was down that day instead of the braided bun she usually kept it in.

What he would never ask though is how much her weights weighed nowadays it would probably give him a heart attack to be honest "Or you could ask innocent questions and watch how everyone reacts to your questions" Okisuke suggested.

Yahiko snorted in response "Everyone would know then and the guilty party could try to run" Yahiko scoffed before his eyes widened in realization, the one who ran would be the guilty one, there catching the embezzler.

"For now lets just enjoy ourselves a little bit Sakura, seeing as we've pretty much been cooped up in the hospital, hotel, Mizukage's office and academy we deserve a little break" Sasuke pat her hand gently intent on getting some souvenirs.

So Sakura let herself be dragged around at Sasuke's whim for the day and returned to the hospital the next day only for the lot of them to overhear a most curious conversation "It seems those leaf bastards are leaving in a few days" Yoru said quite loudly to someone in his office.

The Samurai, Jiraiya and Yahiko listening in just as intently, no one answered him and no one sensed a second chakra in the office "Once their gone I'm going to disregard all their rules and take all the funds for myself and leave this place in shambles this time" Yoru cackled.

"Well if that's not a confession I don't know what is, seems you were right Sakura-san" Mifune frowned, wondering how someone so awful had come to be in command of the hospital, not that he was going to go around asking.

Sakura nodded then with a sigh threw open the head medics office door, it slammed into the stone wall with a bang, scaring the ever living hell out of Yoru who was in the midst of hiding a thick wad of ryo in his desk.

Caught he made the ultimate mistake by lunging at Sakura and wrapping his hand around her neck, squeezing it tightly "Move out of the way if you don't want me to break her neck, cause I will" Yoru demanded.

"Kafu bite" Sakura ordered tonelessly and the spider that she'd had planted on Yoru this entire time before he could tell her about the mans suspicious behavior, bit down as commanded and Yoru let out a scream of agony.

Clutching his neck as he released her, Yoru doubled over his trashcan and started vomiting violently into it "Did his venom get stronger recently or something" Jiraiya asked curiously, not remembering that quite a violent reaction to someone getting bit by Sakura's spiders.

Usually it was Shiruki doing the biting of enemies though "Yeah they all got bigger recently, soon I'll have to start summoning littler spiders in order to just simply incapacitate people so I don't accidentally kill them" Sakura nodded.

Brushing her clothes off before summoning Mibojin "My pleasure Sakura-sama" Mibojin didn't have to be told twice or even told what to do at all as he simply covered Yoru in his webbing so that the man couldn't escape.

"I thought you had slug summons" Yahiko asked in the aftermath as Sakura injected Yoru with some of her anti-venom, then rummaged around in the mans desk, finding a scroll which when unsealed reveal about 34,000 ryo of the missing original 40,000.

Then she heaved Yoru over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes before answering Yahiko "You would be correct, I do have Slug summons, but I also happen to have spider summons" Sakura informed with a smile.

Cuddling Mibojin against her chest with her free arm as they marched across the Mist Village to deliver the embezzler and nearly all of the missing funds "Ugh" Yoru groaned still reeling from the venom he'd been subjected to.

Mei was all to happy to throw the man in a jail cell right alongside Hirata and Nejire, grant Sakura permission to select a new more trustworthy Head Medic for the hospital and use the funds that had been found to upgrade equipment, get new beds, hire and train new medics and much more.

Before they knew it was time for all of them to head home "Well we thank you for allowing us to accompany you on this mission Sakura-san but I do believe it is time we got back to Iron before my absence is missed much more" Mifune said.

Right as they'd signed out of the village, proposal for the treaty between Mist and Leaf in Sakura's pouch, which sported a new ambassadors badge with Mists signature on it, Sasuke also had one "It was nice having you along Mifune-dono" Sakura smiled kindly at the Head Samurai.

Ever polite "Make sure you come visit Iron sometime and learn how to wield a sword our way" Okisuke reminded, he was curious to see if she could master their swordsmanship style and it seemed like she was interested as well.

"As long as you don't mind if I tag along to learn as well" Sasuke chimed in, seeing as he hadn't had much time to wield the sword Shisui had gotten him long ago for becoming a Chunin that Sakura had given him once he'd been promoted.

Sakura grinned but remained on the alert at the same time"Of course not Sasuke-san your more than welcome" Urakaku relented to the request seeing no point in exempting the boy as they traversed the marshes and swamps to leave Kirigakure.

Until they were on the mainland again two days later it's where the Samurai decided to head in a different direction than them, Leaf Shinobi watching them go "So what do you think will happen once we get to Leaf, to me I mean" Yahiko questioned.

Feeling nervous all of a sudden "Not a whole lot probably, you'll be assigned an anbu watch, placed with a capable Jonin or someone higher and that's about it" Jiraiya mused, just marching along.

And then all of a sudden Sakura was missing "Hold up where did Sakura-san go" Herasu noticed the girls absence immediately, before they could truly investigate the matter, a smoke bomb filled with sleeping gas went off, knocking out their entire group.

When they finally came to, the only thing to signal that something had happened was a scroll that Sasuke snatched furiously "If you want to see her alive and returned, you will not send anyone to retrieve her or attempt to infiltrate, signed the Tsuchikage" Sasuke read off.

So it was with heavy hearts they continued their trek home "Where's Sakura" Tsunade asked when she didn't see her apprentice, Sasuke reluctantly set a scroll on her desk that she took achingly slow and read three times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"I'm sorry Tsunade, I let my guard down and she paid for that mistake, we all should have been paying better attention really" Jiraiya apologized in a voice filled with regret, he really cared about the kid and this was the last thing he wanted to happen to her.

Tsunade inhaled, then exhaled before a furious snarl erupted from her mouth and she slammed her fist onto her desk shattering it into pieces "Ohnoki you just fucked with the one person you didn't want to fuck with" Tsunade raged.

Miles away with an unconscious Sakura cradled in his arms Kitsuchi shuddered getting the feeling that his Father had, had him do something absolutely unforgivable but he had a mission to complete regardless of his feelings so sped up in order to reach Iwagakure sooner rather than later.


	38. Captive in Iwagakure

Needless to say when everyone else that lived in the Haruno House found out what had happened to Sakura they were practically seething with rage and Shisui had to be knocked out so he wouldn't go storming off to rescue Sakura.

"They said they'd return her right, so maybe they don't have bad intentions" Naruto chimed in trying to be optimistic about the situation while also forcing back the tears that were pricking harshly at his eyes.

Itachi as much an advocate of peace as he was had to agree "Naruto is right, should they not return her however that is when regardless of their warning we will get her back no matter the cost" Itachi added.

Which ultimately reigned in the others 'Please Kami-sama look after my daughter and bring her home when the time is right' Mebuki prayed inwardly to herself, seated on the couch next to her husband, squeezing his hand tightly in fear and hope.

Kizashi the joker was the quietest anyone had ever seen the man "Sakura will come back to us I know it so we just have to be patient, she'll give em hell to if she has to" Kizashi finally cracked a joke filling them with a small relief, most of them anyway.

Except for Sasuke who knew there was a couple more people he needed to tell about what had happened "I uh…I'm going to tell Shino and Shibi-sensei" Sasuke winced, forcing himself to move even though he'd made up his mind, his body seemed like it was stuck in place.

But ever so slowly he got himself out the door, trudging reluctantly towards the Aburame Compound "You don't have to tell us Sasuke, Hokage-sama already explained" Shibi said as he opened the door to find his student on the other side.

Looking like he'd lost the most important person in his life, might as well have since Sakura had been his friend since they were six that's seven years, five of which had been spent with them as close as siblings so of course Sasuke would feel her absence painfully.

"H..Hows Shino taking the news" Sasuke inquired hesitantly since Shino hadn't answered the door, Shibi grimaced behind his high coat collar but let Sasuke in, gesturing him up the stairs in the general direction of his son's room.

Sasuke visibly flinched when he got nothing but silence and when he entered Shino's room all he could sense was overwhelming despair "Sasuke why her, why did it have to be her" Shino sounded so unlike himself for once.

His friend didn't have an answer for him "There's hope and you know Sakura, she's a fighter Shino, she'll do whatever she has to, to come back to us, you know that" Sasuke slumped to the floor intent on staying there for awhile.

Cause he doubted he could trust himself to get back to the house without breaking down "Right" Shino in spite of himself let out a chuckle, feeling a little better now that Sasuke was there and they could support each other during this difficult time.

Meanwhile all the way in Iwagakure, Sakura was finally waking up, on a rather comfy bed she noted warily, with her hands and feet unbound, confusing her, before she could delve further into her thoughts, the door opened.

And the one who'd grabbed her using the head hunter jutsu entered the room "Finally awake are you kid, sorry I was so rough with you but orders are orders and I couldn't let you escape" the man walked closer carefully.

Unsure of how she'd react "Then maybe you shouldn't have left me untied, Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu: Red Legged Spiders, Mibojin tie him up in your webbing" Sakura growled, flying through a set of hand signs and summoning her spider.

Kitsuchi blinked as he found himself wrapped in extremely strong spider webbing as the girl escaped out the door "Guess she's as feisty as Dad heard" Kitsuchi chuckled to himself, finding himself in quite the predicament.

That was remedied a moment later as his daughter found him and cut him free "The hell happened, I saw this pink haired chick running like hell out of the house and then your all tied up in, the heck is this stuff" Kurotsuchi frowned.

"Ah that would be our captive that escaped, Tsuchikage-sama wanted to question her, but I seem to have underestimated her abilities" Kitsuchi explained, righting himself, looking slightly amused as he sensed out the girls chakra.

Followed by body flickering, he caught her around the waist easily "Calm down we're not going to hurt you" Kitsuchi soothed when she grabbed his arm and started crushing it, he thought she was going to break it anyway but then she stopped.

Peering up at him warily body tightly wound like a coil waiting to spring on the unsuspecting person "I don't trust you" she scowled, keeping as still as possible and waiting for the right moment should it look like the situation was getting worse on her.

"Of course not, this is something I can understand seeing as Iwa and Konoha aren't allies with one another" Kitsuchi nodded, slowly releasing the girl and backing away a little, giving her room and showing her that he meant what he said hopefully.

She was so jumpy to his surprise and a little punch happy as someone showed up at her side and he went flying backwards "Sorry" Sakura apologized sheepishly, her captor rubbed his face, so she headed after the guy she'd hit and healed him expertly.

Grateful that she was behaving now Kitsuchi held out his arm "Now if your can remain polite I'll take you to see Tsuchikage-sama who wishes to ask you a couple of questions" Kitsuchi eyed her sternly as she walked with him.

A couple of feet away to wary until they were stood in his Father's office and she was sat in the lone chair "You wanted to ask something of me Tsuchikage-sama" Sakura prodded wanting to get this over with.

The very short man to her surprise floated over to her "What is it about you I wonder that the Raikage see's in you to bequeath you with the title of ambassador between his and your village, not only that but the Mizukage as well" Ohnoki mused.

Eyeing the ambassador badges sewn onto the girls storage pouch, she tensed at that and covered them "I earned them by helping both villages equally in times of strife" Sakura admitted, emerald irises piercing straight through him.

"Yes I know that, but the Raikage seems especially fond you girl, why" Ohnoki scoffed, knowing how one earned an ambassadors badge but it didn't explain the Raikage's actions in the least which is what he was trying to figure out.

Sakura fiddled with her hair for a moment before shrugging "All I can tell you is that he stayed in my house for a couple of weeks when he was drawing up a treaty, I met him on a mission and helped out in his village so I don't really know why he's so fond of me" Sakura sulked.

Just as confused as the Tsuchikage, she wasn't anyone truly special, just a kunoichi that worked hard to succeed at her choice in career, "Take her back to your house and keep an eye on her Kitsuchi, I'm not finished with the girl but I can't put off the paperwork" Ohnoki ordered.

Her heart dropped into her stomach as she was led back to Kitsuchi's house and shoved back into the room she'd escaped from earlier "Damn it" Sakura cursed under her breath, especially frustrated as all her weapons were taken.

Including the ones in her hair and chakra suppression cuffs were slapped on her wrists "Don't want you escaping, sorry" Kitsuchi apologized genuinely not that it helped her situation as he shut the door and activated the barrier seal to prevent her from leaving.

Seeing as she couldn't do anything Sakura flopped listlessly down onto the bed unable to sit still and five minutes later she was up pacing back and forth trying to figure a way out of her situation just in case the Tsuchikage decided that he was going to hold her there against her will for good.

After a few minutes of thinking she tested the chakra cuffs and found that if she really concentrated she could channel chakra through a different chakra point that wasn't blocked by the cuffs, allowing her the use of chakra.

This massively relieved her as she shot a glare at the door, waited a couple of seconds then went through hand signs "Summoning Jutsu…Katsuyu-sama, please inform Tsunade-shishou that I'm fine and trying to figure a way to escape, tell her not to do anything rash as well" Sakura requested.

Glad that she'd managed even if it was one of the smallest version of Katsuyu that she'd ever summoned, she could at least contact her shishou in Leaf "Is there anyone else you wish to pass a message along to Sakura-chan" Katsuyu inquired.

"No, no, now go Katsuyu-sama I don't know how long they'll go without checking on me" Sakura shook her head, urging the slug to get going before Kitsuchi came back and she vanished in a plume of smoke in the nick of time.

As the door creaked open to reveal Kitsuchi with a plate of food "Figured you'd be hungry seeing as you haven't eaten since yesterday and it's already noon" Kitsuchi said, looking around to make sure she wasn't trying to work her way around the barrier to escape.

"You didn't put anything in it did you, like say a sedative that would put me to sleep" Sakura asked, hesitant to eat anything that was given to her by the enemy regardless of his assurance that she wasn't going to be harmed.

Kitsuchi raised a brow at her "Quite the shrewd kid aren't you, the names Kurotsuchi, this guys my dad and no we didn't put any sedative in it, here I'll show you" Kurotsuchi as she'd introduced herself took a bite of the food.

Proving that there was nothing in it when nothing happened "Thanks, but just know I still don't trust you" Sakura took the plate and after giving her thanks dug in carefully, checking for any funny taste as she ate slowly.

During this Kitsuchi took a seat in the chair while Kurotsuchi joined her on the bed "Say what was that stuff you used to tie up my Dad earlier" Kurotsuchi asked mighty curious about the girl who'd gotten the drop on her Dad.

Sakura jumped a little and scooted further away "Webbing, I'd show you but well I can't" the rosette answered vaguely flashing the cuffs at Kurotsuchi, not letting on that she could still use chakra in spite of them.

"He was a huge spider that you called Mibojin if I remember" Kitsuchi commented, Sakura cast him a sour look in response, she really was quite the interesting child if he was being honest and he knew his Father would send her home eventually.

Meanwhile all the way back in Leaf, Tsunade nearly screamed in fright as Katsuyu appeared on her desk, there were only three people who could summon the slug in question, one who was right down the hall and wouldn't send Katsuyu when she could walk here herself.

The second was herself and the last being Sakura "She's alright" Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief coming to the correct conclusion about her apprentice when Katsuyu nodded, the smallest version she'd ever seen actually.

"Yes Sakura-chan is fine, she's currently trying to find a way to escape and she asks that you don't do anything rash Tsunade-chan" Katsuyu informed, delivering the message she'd been ask to deliver to Tsunade.

Who looked a second away from breaking her brand new desk that had only been brought in a couple hours ago "Fine I'll trust her judgement for now but if she's not back within a week, I'm going through with declaring war on Iwagakure just to get her back" Tsunade scowled.

"Go back to Shikkotsu Forest Katsuyu" Tsunade ordered a moment later, trying to reign in the urge to rampage, in a plume of smoke the slug was gone leaving her to buckle down and get to work on paperwork.

Back in Iwa, Sakura finished eating her late lunch and handed the plate back to Kitsuchi "Were you lying earlier when you told Tsuchikage-sama you didn't know why the Raikage was fond of you" Kitsuchi asked on his way out the door.

"I don't lie unless I absolutely have to" Sakura scowled at him, not noticing how her gaze flickered over to the door and studied the barrier seal he had on it, keeping her inside the room but he understood what she meant.

Kurotsuchi let out a laugh "Man your hilarious kid, anyway see ya" Kurotsuchi waved as she followed her dad out and shut the door behind her, barrier activating again, Sakura sighed then searched through her pouches.

And found that she'd been left with ink, a brush and a few blank tags, more than what she needed as she began drawing a barrier deactivation seal which took up quite a chunk of her time so she had to hastily hid her things under the pillow.

When the door began creaking open again "Kid, if your really good I can take you around the village to buy some stuff to entertain you while your here" Kurotsuchi grinned as she poked her head into the guest room.

Sakura not one to refuse such an offer hopped up from the bed, hoping that Kitsuchi wouldn't snoop while she was gone "I can behave if that's what you mean" Sakura shrugged lightly, following Kurotsuchi down the hall and out of the house.

Only to be led to the market "Look I bet this would really suit you, all you have to do is get the ball to stay in place" Kurotsuchi showed off a concentration game that Sakura easily beat, to the older kunoichi's frustration since she hadn't been able to beat it.

She also wasn't interested in any other kind of game either, books however that was an entirely different matter and she snagged one on earth jutsu's, another on fire and even wind, the fourth one she grabbed was one on unique herbs to Earth Country.

Just as they were getting ready to leave having paid for the four books Kitsuchi appeared before them looking quite annoyed "Come on Dad, it's wrong to keep her cooped up and it's not like she can do anything, plus I'm just as capable of keeping an eye on her" Kurotsuchi huffed.

"Very well I'll remove the barrier on the door as well, just please don't cause trouble and let one of us know if you want to go out so that we can accompany you" Kitsuchi pleaded not wanting anything to happen to the girl.

They were treading on thin ice as it was just for kidnapping the child "Sounds reasonable" Sakura nodded carefully, clutching the four books she'd just bought to her chest, inwardly rethinking her plan a little bit.

As they returned to the house and she was allowed to stay out in the living room "By the way I don't think I caught your name" Kurotsuchi ask when the kid flipped open one of her brand new books and started reading.

Only pausing at her question "Sakura Haruno, I'm a first generation shinobi from a civilian family and I'm a Chunin" Sakura introduced, giving minimal information about herself and hoping they wouldn't ask any more questions.

"I also heard that you were called the Akumu no Hana" Kitsuchi chimed in, Sakura raised a fuscia brow in response, head tilted to the side considering the moniker she'd been branded with before letting a truly terrifying smile spread across her lips, emerald orbs gleaming dangerously.

He barely suppressed the shudder "Thanks for the info I didn't know I had a nom de guerre, do you know where it originated from" Sakura questioned curiously this being the first she heard of it, though she wasn't entirely opposed to having a moniker.

Kitsuchi mused inwardly that Sakura really was the strangest person he'd ever met "Kumogakure I believe, some of the shinobi said that you had a truly nightmarish genjutsu in your skill arsenal and they came up with the nickname" Kitsuchi shrugged.

Not truly sure himself "Probably Darui-san I'll have to whack him next time I see him, the damn moaner just because I used him as a test subject while I was crafting the genjutsu" Sakura snorted, imagining all the ways she could get back at the man, all very creative and very painful for him.

"You used an ally as your tester that's crazy kid what if he'd gotten stuck in it or something" Kurotsuchi burst out unable to believe her ears, Sakura was certifiably insane and she shrugged all uncaring like in response.

And focused her attention on her book, then three hours later Kitsuchi stood to make dinner, daughter on his heels and Sakura reluctantly closed her book to sit in silence for another hour until she was called into the kitchen to eat.

She was still wary of course as she tested for any drugs in the food but ate quickly and even helped wash up before she was ushered back to the room Kitsuchi had planned on locking her in essentially to get some rest.

Unfortunately while she was apparently going to be let out during the day, the night was a different matter as the barrier was activated but she knew that he wouldn't be checking on her again for awhile at least.

So channeled her chakra through the only unblocked chakra point, formed hand signs and summoned Katsuyu "Tsunade-chan said that if you aren't back in a week she'll be declaring war" the slug informed quietly.

Knowing better than to be loud "Shishou's the crazy one ugh..anyway give this to Naruto and Sasuke for me, tell them it's from me and not to worry, and ask them to keep Shisui-ni from doing anything stupid, Shishou knows better, Shisui-ni on the other hand.." Sakura trailed off.

While handing over a scroll that she hastily scribbled in "Also tell my parents that I'm fine, lastly this is for Shino-kun" Sakura pulled out a separate scroll that she took a little more time scribbling in wanting convey her feelings to her boyfriend.

Then she laid down as Katsuyu vanished in a plume of smoke, plugging in the nightlight and cuddling the light up panda ant, though it was a pity she could use her chakra to power it since she didn't want to tip off Kitsuchi that she could still use chakra and eventually fell asleep.

In the time it took her to go to sleep Katsuyu had arrived at the house "Katsuyu" Shisui practically shouted spotting the slugs arrival, he nearly lunged but was stopped by Itachi who approached cautiously unsure of what condition the slugs youngest summoner was in.

"From Sakura-chan, she asks that Shisui-san not do anything stupid, this letter scroll is for Naruto-san and Sasuke-san, she asks that you not worry so much, Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san she wanted me to tell you that she is fine" Katsuyu informed.

Naruto grabbed the scroll and quickly read it, letting out a sigh of relief as he did so "Here Katsuyu, Sasuke's with Shino, she would want him to know how she was doing as well" Naruto returned the letter scroll.

And Katsuyu disappeared on them heading to where Sasuke and Shino were, both of them were sparring against one another to worried to really relax right now though at her appearance they stopped and headed straight for her.

"Did Hokage-sama send you, please tell us that those bastards didn't do anything to her or I swear to every kami known to man that I will kill them" Sasuke growled, hate searing through his veins for Iwa-nin much more than he'd ever felt for his brother when he had been a rogue.

The slug shook her head "I was sent by Sakura-chan, these letters are for you, she is fine and she asks that you not worry so much" Katsuyu explained giving them the scrolls and both boys took them only to sigh in unrehearsed sync.

Especially Shino "Thank kami" Shino breathed, feeling the tiredness catch up to him, Sasuke looked equally as exhausted now as Katsuyu returned to Shikkotsu Forest, leaving them to head to bed for the night.

Morning dawned early the next day in Iwagakure and Sakura was let out of the room to join Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi for breakfast only to be carted off to speak with the Tsuchikage again immediately after.

"So ready to tell me why the Raikage is so fond of you girl" Ohnoki steepled his fingers in front of him having felt the same as his son that the child hadn't told him the truth about why Ay seemed to care for her so much.

Sakura sighed wearily "Tsuchikage-sama I really truly honestly have no clue" Sakura said, practically repeating herself at this point and extremely annoyed at the questioning, like serious why the hell did he just ask the Raikage himself instead of little ole clueless her.

Ohnoki grumbled to himself for a moment "Let me as you this then, why was the Raikage staying in your house in the first place" Ohnoki questioned hoping to get something out of the girl, even if it seemed insignificant to her.

That was something she could answer easily "At the time there was a major malfunction at our guest hotel for foreign shinobi, so Sandaime-sama placed him there" Sakura explained, remembering easily.

Clearly the Tsuchikage wasn't expecting that "You also said you met him on a mission" Ohnoki prodded, peppering the girl with more questions, even if she was proving to be a tough cookie to crack he was sure that he could crack her if he kept at it.

Her eyes dimmed a little "That's right, we had just found Tsunade-sama, he showed up injured and asked me to help heal him until his bodyguards arrived" Sakura admitted, trying not to think about all that had happened on that mission.

It was to painful really "Oh, so you're a medic, that would explain why you were helping out in his hospital" Ohnoki nodded, putting the puzzle pieces together slowly so he could figure out the whole puzzle hopefully.

"Technically Tsuchikage-sama I was there by coincidence to help out as a team from Leaf and their sensei had been attacked and taken hostage by one of Orochimaru's subordinates, though they were being watched by a bunch of idiot bandits" Sakura snorted.

Lips parting to spread into a slightly terrifying smile as she remembered said subordinate of Orochimaru was now in a jail cell at T&I for the rest of his life, wearing chakra suppression cuffs "What's so funny" Ohnoki demanded to know.

When she giggled "Just thinking about where that subordinate of Orochimaru's is now, in a jail cell in Leaf and I find it funny because it is, he should have never tried to manipulate Mifune-dono into doing his bidding" Sakura announced.

By this point Ohnoki was quite done with his questioning for the day at least "Think you can hold out for one more day Sakura-san" Kitsuchi asked the girl when he directed her back to his house, getting the feeling his Father's interest in her was quickly waning.

Which meant she would probably be going home within the next couple of days "I'll do my best but lets hope I get to go home soon, cause trust me you don't want Tsunade-sama to go on the warpath" Sakura shuddered.

Confusing Kitsuchi a little, he thought about it through lunch and even while he was making dinner before he finally asked "I know your Leaf, but the Hokage declaring war for one person is a little bit….well insane" Kitsuchi frowned.

She gave him the most deadpan look she could "If that person wasn't someone she probably views as a daughter and her apprentice, yeah I could agree with you but seeing as she cares quite a bit about me, she'd do anything to get me back" Sakura deadpanned.

It wasn't even funny that's how insane Tsunade was "How on earth did you even manage to get her to take you on as an apprentice let alone have her view you as a daughter of sorts" Kitsuchi cringed, realizing how stupid taking Sakura was now.

No wonder he'd had a profound sense of doom the moment he'd committed the act "A bet, she asked me to master chakra enhanced strength in a week, if I did she'd come home with us, along the way we ended up bonding in the most unexpected ways" Sakura smiled.

Features softening a little, despite how crazy the woman was she loved her like a second mom "Great, Gramps might have brought about our destruction" Kurotsuchi groaned, putting her head into her hands.

While Kitsuchi thought of a hopeful solution to their predicament "If I were to take those off, could you send a message with that summons of yours and tell Tsunade that you'll be back within the next few days" Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes gesturing to the cuffs as he did so.

Hoping he wasn't making a mistake seeing as he still didn't know all the girl could do "Sure I could as long as they stay off and I get my weapons back, I won't fight or try to run" Sakura threw back, negotiating a little bit.

Sensing that she was being genuine he took the chakra suppression cuffs off and put them away, Sakura flew through a set of hand signs "Summoning Jutsu…Mibojin-sama" Sakura grabbed up the huge spider and cuddled him.

To their shock and wariness "Do you need me to bite them…Sakura-sama" Mibojin offered only peering up at his summoner when she shook her head "Did they not kidnap you" he inquired wondering what was going on.

"Mibojin-sama it's alright their not going to hurt me, what I do need you to do is go to Leaf and tell Tsunade-shishou that I'm alright and that I'll be back within the next few days or so" Sakura instructed, glad that she'd practiced until she could control which summon she could summon.

Wary and un-trusting Mibojin did as asked and vanished in a plume of smoke "If your here to tell me Sakura's alright, she already sent Katsuyu two days earlier so what are you here for Mibojin" Tsunade didn't startle this time when yet another of her apprentice's summons appeared on her desk.

He didn't look happy "The enemy were watching her and I assume they don't know about that, she also told me to inform you that she'd be back within the next few days or so" Mibojin informed sitting in the spot he'd appeared.

Tsunade tapped her chin in thought "I swear, I don't how that girl gets herself out of these sorts of situations with such ease" Tsunade finally heaved a long suffering sigh, knowing she really had nothing to worry about.

"Alright Mibojin, go back and tell her that I'll be awaiting her return" Tsunade gave the spider a message and he was gone a second later back to his summoner who began cuddling him once again at his reappearance.

He was relieved to see her well and that nothing happened to her while he was gone "Lady Tsunade said that she'll be awaiting your return Sakura-sama" Mibojin delivered the message while pressed against her chest.

Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi looked disturbed "Uh you know he's a huge spider right, spiders don't equal cuddling" Kurotsuchi commented, edging back a little bit, not forgetting how he'd offered to bite them and she didn't want to find out what would happen if that did happen.

Sakura snorted lightly "Generally, but Mibojin-sama doesn't mind as long as I give him a….whoops looks like I ran through my stash..wait, nope here you go, thanks for doing such a good job for me" Sakura rifled through her pouch.

Coming up empty handed the first time before finally finding what she was looking for and giving a couple of flies to her summons "Appreciated Sakura-sama" Mibojin said, wrapping his rewards in his webbing and disappearing back to where he was summoned from.

"Your bloody weird" Kurotsuchi declared not sure what to think about the younger girl anymore, first, Sakura shrugged in response not sure what to tell the older girl, before she settled on the couch and pulled out a book to read for a bit.

Until it was time for bed, this time the barrier was not activated and she powered her light up that night, sleeping a little better than the previous night, but when Sakura woke, she knew something was going to happen and it wasn't going to be good.

Both Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi noticed her unusual tension as they walked to the Tsuchikage Tower, she was on guard for some reason, looking every which way possible, Ohnoki noticed her rigidity as well when she sat before him in a chair.

So he deigned to ask her "Girl what has you so tense" Ohnoki inquired warily, hoping that she wasn't planning anything seeing as he was going to send her home that day, he'd asked all the questions he wanted to ask anyway.

Only to get nothing really concrete out of her "Got a bad feeling" Sakura admitted looking extremely disgruntled, it was all she really knew and her instincts were always spot on, this feeling was on par with the night of the massacre.

Before their very eyes they watched her go ghostly pale, putting them on equally as high alert, just as someone burst their way into the office "A subordinate of Orochimaru's is demanding we bring the girl you captured to him" the shinobi informed.

The chair Sakura was sitting on fell over in the girls haste to stand, her face was like thunder "Let me handle this please" Sakura requested stiffly, face and eyes blank of any emotion as she stared at the Tsuchikage.

"Very well but we'll be going with you, if we capture this man, we might be able to find out more about possible bases Orochimaru has" Ohnoki relented seeing that she wouldn't back down over this and he floated after her, Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi following behind him.

Until they reached the gates and like said someone wearing an Otogakure headband was waiting "I didn't think you'd actually bring her, pity I was hoping I could do a little killing, come on trash Orochimaru-sama is waiting" the guy was easily as tall as Kisame.

Sakura bared her teeth at him "Oh you think I'm simply going to go with you do you, guess again" the rosette clenched her fist and charged, he wasn't expecting her to be so fast clearly as she reached him in no time.

And sent him flying backwards gaining distance so the village wasn't caught up in the fight "Someone's been taking lessons from Tsunade I see" Ohnoki noted casually as the girl vanished after her opponent.

Them hurrying after "She's the Sannin's apprentice Father" Kitsuchi said by way of explanation, as it was they should just thank their lucky stars the woman trusted the girl or Tsunade would have declared war just to get Sakura back.

By the time they caught up with her, Sakura was eyeing the enemy with a calculative gleam in her eyes "Why's Orochimaru so interested in me anyway" Sakura inquired curiously wanting to get some information of her own.

It was hard not to just kill him "He's interested because you managed what no one else besides the other Legendary Sannin could, you hit him twice and lived to tell the tale" the enemy announced, and got a blank stare in return.

"Got lucky is all and that's all there is to it, as it stands I have no intention of bowing down to that bastard, to bad you won't be able to give him my sincerest regards on the matter" Sakura snarled, ending the game.

As she body flickered and when she was near she unleashed her genjutsu as he started turning, smelling her signature, it only took but a moment, then he was on the ground screaming his head off "What did you do to him" Kurotsuchi asked.

Once chakra suppression cuffs were put on him and Sakura was standing next to her "Genjutsu as much as I want to whack Darui for giving me a moniker such as Akumu no Hana, it really is an apt one, my genjutsu is one straight out of nightmares" Sakura sniffed delicately.

Still miffed "I didn't see you use hand signs though" Kitsuchi pointed out in confusion, glad the girl was no longer as tense as earlier now that the enemy after her had been taken care of and they began their trek back into the village, him carrying the Oto-nin over his shoulder.

Her smile made him want to run away "That's because I didn't Kitsuchi-san" Sakura informed, not giving away all her secrets, she wasn't that naive anymore, all she had was her politeness to go on until the person proved not to deserve it.

"Right..as fun as this has all been, your free to leave brat, Kitsuchi will escort you back to your village" Ohnoki snorted harshly leaving them behind, Sakura blinked before deciding she'd probably never understand the Tsuchikage.

But she did go back to Kitsuchi's house to get her things while the man put their newest captive in a jail cell "Okay ready to go" Kitsuchi questioned once he returned to his house and found her lounging on the couch, his daughter no where to be seen.

Sakura popped up immediately "Definitely, by the time I get back it'll have been a month since I've been home and I really do miss my parents" Sakura smiled softly, becoming free with her emotions now that the bad feeling she'd felt had been appropriately dealt with.

Kitsuchi couldn't resist as he ruffled her extremely long bangs lightly "What no boyfriend kid" Kurotsuchi teased, randomly appearing with a pack on her shoulders, her intent was clear, she wanted to go join them.

At the teasing Sakura turned bright red "You do have one, man your lucky" Kurotsuchi seemed to realize what was wrong when the girl continued to just blush on their trek to the gates until they were signed out and on their way to Leaf.

"Mm I have missed him to, quite a lot" Sakura hummed to herself quietly, hoping that Shino was doing alright, he was the other person she'd worried about doing something reckless besides Tsunade, Shisui and Sasuke.

Naruto would have understood hopefully as would have Itachi but the four aforementioned, she shook her head lightly trying not to think about it now "So how long have you been together" Kurotsuchi asked.

Since it was a safer question than asking the kid more about herself and her abilities "For probably over eight months, though I've known him since I was five, we bonded over a mutual hobby of ours" Sakura giggled.

Remembering the various bug hunting expeditions she, Shisui, Shibi and Shino had all been on together over the years until it was just her, Shibi and Shino, though she wouldn't change the past any if she could.

"Uh-huh and what would that hobby be exactly" Kurotsuchi prodded just a little frustrated, getting information out of Sakura was like pulling teeth and nigh impossible with how vague she liked being about things.

She grinned widely "Bug hunting, we both love insects, in fact I saved an entire species of wingless wasps from total extinction by finding a pair and having them breed their own colony" Sakura admitted.

Proud of that achievement not that it was very glorious it made her feel good nonetheless "Insects, that you feed to your spider summons" Kitsuchi asked, more than a little weirded out by the girl, but Sakura shook her head.

"Nope just flies, my boyfriend helps me catch them so that I'll have a stash ready to hand out for my summons" Sakura said, raising her guard now that they were further away from Iwagakure, and from before she knew that anything could happen.

Both of her reluctant companions noticed the change in her immediately "Kami that kids a basket case" Kurotsuchi whispered as Sakura got ahead of them, eyeing their surroundings warily while her presence became practically nonexistent.

Considering she was cloaking her chakra and scent now "You might be right, but all we have to do now is make sure she gets back to Leaf unharmed" Kitsuchi shrugged, unaware that Sakura could hear everything they were saying.

Though she let it go because they were right she was a basket case, she'd been mentally tortured that did all sorts of things to a person, with that they continued their trek clear up to noon, only then did they stop to eat lunch.

That Sakura cooked "Good right, my mom taught me since I was little" Sakura grinned when their eyes widened at the various flavors of the soup she'd made, only to have the wind knocked out of her a second later.

As she was snapped up by the most unexpected person "I swear if you've harmed this brat you'll regret it for the rest of your lives" Ay growled handing Sakura over to Darui, Sakura paled, elbowed Darui lightly until he got the hint.

Before stepping around the Raikage "Raikage-sama they never hurt me, relax a little please and you'll see that I'm just fine" Sakura assured carefully knowing that it was dangerous but the man did seem to listen to her at times.

For a moment it didn't seem like this was going to be one of those times until Ay lowered his gaze onto her after struggling to reign in his temper, given by his flaring nostrils "Brat your sure" Ay demanded once he gave her a look over.

"Yes, in fact Kitsuchi-san and Kurotsuchi-san were just escorting me back to Leaf" Sakura nodded with a smile, Ay looked her over a second time just to be doubly sure and didn't notice anything off.

She didn't even have bags underneath her eyes indicating she had been sleeping quite well "Kid I swear you get in and out of situations ridiculously easy sometimes" Darui snorted, relaxing when the Raikage did.

Grateful that Sakura was okay, they'd thought the worst when they'd heard after all and hadn't stayed to wait for anymore updates "Akumu no Hana" Sakura grumbled at him but it wasn't Darui that looked away but Cee.

"Really Cee-san that nicknames going to be stuck with me for the rest of my life you know" Sakura huffed at the blonde who didn't look guilty about branding her with such a moniker in the least to her frustration.

Off to the side Kitsuchi suddenly realized that he could get more information "So Raikage, what's so special about Sakura-san that you'd come for her yourself" Kitsuchi narrowed his eyes on the man, though he was relieved they weren't being attacked.

Dark eyes snapped to him "You don't know what she's been through, plus the brats gutsy and it amuses me" Ay scoffed, amused when Sakura shot him a scowl, proving his point, only gutsy people could get away with glaring at him like that.

Which was why he was so fond of the brat "Pray tell us what has the kid been through that it would warrant your protection because she wouldn't tell us and we're dying to know" Kurotsuchi scowled more than a little frustrated.

"That's for her to say, not mine, well seeing as you are fine and on your way back, my coming here to rescue you was pointless, so I'll leave these two to complete their mission and head back to my village" Ay ruffled the kids hair.

Messing it up beyond repair "Just try not to get kidnapped anymore Sakura-san" Cee glared at her before the three of them were gone off into the distance, Sakura glaring after them as she yanked her brush through her hair to fix it.

Both Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi stunned into silence as they finished eating lunch though it had long since grown cold before continuing their trek, none of them speaking until Sakura got fed up with the stares "If you have something to say, say it please" Sakura sighed.

Exhausted now "Your not going to tell us are you, what he meant I mean" Kitsuchi frowned, Sakura craned her neck around to meet his gaze for a moment, then shook her head, glancing to the sky for a second before deciding they could walk for awhile longer.

"At least tell us something Kid" Kurotsuchi pleaded hoping to appeal to the girls generous side, she knew the kid had one, seeing as the Raikage could have simply killed them, but since Sakura had intervened he hadn't which had spared their lives.

In response Sakura let out a louder sigh before swinging around and pinning them with a cold glare "Fine you want to know, when I was eight I witnessed Itachi kill his parents, mentally torture his brother and thought for over five years my best friend was dead" Sakura spat.

Temper flaring "And then when we went to find Tsunade-shishou, I learned that my friend was in fact alive, while I was back in Leaf having nightmares, he was wandering about unaware of what had happened, not to mention I got accidentally caught up in Itachi's Tsukuyomi" Sakura snapped.

Whipping back around to face the opposite direction "I can't stand the smell of blood and I have night terrors of my loved ones dying and mocking me nearly every night for not saving them" Sakura finished much calmer but still facing away from the duo.

Unsure if she would even be able to look at them now without flying off the handle for awhile at least as her heart pounded in her chest and tears pricked harshly at her eyes, she hated revealing to people that she had weaknesses, debilitating ones at that.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder "Listen Sakura-san, we never meant to upset you, Raikage was right we can't even fathom what you a mere child has been through" Kitsuchi grimaced hoping this didn't come back to bite them in the ass.

Sakura kept her head forward ignoring him "I try and try to forget but it's impossible" Sakura murmured finally facing him, with tears streaking down her face and he knew there was more to it but he wasn't going to ask anymore of her.

Later on as they settled down for the night after dinner Kurotsuchi sat next to her Dad "We messed up didn't we, before she was at least friendly, since earlier she's barely said more than five words to us" Kurotsuchi commented.

Having noticed the change immediately in Sakura where as before she had been slightly friendly and willing to joke around a bit with them, now she was cold and standoffish while not being outright rude she kept her distance.

This was the result of their prodding until Sakura quite literally exploded at them, Kitsuchi didn't really have an answer for his daughter and the next morning after breakfast they were on their way again.

Until yet again someone came after Sakura "Oh for gods sake can't you people leave me the hell alone" Sakura snarled when she saw that it was that idiot Hirata, from Mist who'd been selling amputated parts out of a rundown hut just outside the village.

Apparently he'd gone rogue what with the symbol on his hitai-ate scratched through "My business was ruined because of you, Nejire's dead, so I'm going to take my revenge on you" Hirata growled, obviously insane.

Sakura shook her head "Forgive me Mizukage-sama…Summoning Jutsu, Mibojin-sama bite him" the rosette ordered not taking any more chances, as she threw her spider summons at Hirata who clearly wasn't expecting that she would fight back.

Before he could dodge Mibojin bit down on his arm "It is done" Mibojin declared as Hirata fell over dead, his venom fast acting as he scurried back to his summoner who lifted him and settled him on her shoulder.

"You just killed him" Kurotsuchi shuddered, suddenly glad that the kid didn't hate them or at the very least trusted them not to try anything, Sakura let out a long suffering sigh and set to work, making a grave for the rogue.

Her only act of kindness for the guy "Mizukage-sama would understand, he was sick in the head Kurotsuchi-san, selling amputated parts for money, if I had let him go, he probably would have ended up working under Orochimaru's command or something" Sakura grimaced.

Putting that out of her mind as soon as she thought of it, besides there was nothing she could do now since Hirata was dead by her own hand "Won't that give you more nightmares" Kitsuchi frowned, a little relieved she was speaking to them normally again.

Sakura met his gaze "Doubtful, my nightmares are mostly focused on the people I care about, this guy here was merely a disgusting creep that I didn't know all that well" Sakura pat the grave, praying that he lived a better life should he get a second chance or something.

"Since your talking again does that mean you forgive us for well being so insensitive yesterday" Kurotsuchi asked hopefully not wanting to go the remaining distance to Leaf with Sakura only speaking the minimum amount.

For a moment it seemed like Sakura was still upset "Just no more questions" Sakura relented at long last, a request they could both understand since she'd been pestered with questions since she was brought to Iwagakure.

This made the rest of their trip quite tolerable "Look Sakura-san, your Kage Mountain" Kitsuchi pointed out seeing the famous mountain visible in the distance, though they still had a bit of ways to go before they actually reached the village.

Immediately Sakura looked, relief filling her heart at seeing it and moments later they were surrounded "Give Sakura Haruno back to us or else we'll have no choice but to end your lives" one of the anbu stepped forward, long purple hair swaying.

"Cat what are you doing here especially in your condition" Sakura frowned at the woman, knowing better than to say her actual name since she was on duty, anbu code-name cat simply marched forward.

Until she was within arms reach "Retrieving you of course" Yugao winked at her through the eye slits of her mask and pulled her into a bone crushing hug, Sakura felt her eyes water just before she returned Yugao's hug, carefully of course.

"You shouldn't put yourself in danger like this Cat, thank you for coming but I'm just fine, Kitsuchi-san and Kurotsuchi-san aren't so bad and they never hurt me" Sakura smiled up at the woman though Yugao could tell Sakura was upset at her for endangering her child like this.

At her assurance the other Anbu lowered or put away their weapons, though she did recognize another one of the anbu that had come to retrieve her, Itachi had been put back in Anbu and she'd missed it to her disappointment.

Though he kept his distance for now "Right, we'll leave her with you lot then and get on our way back to Iwagakure" Kitsuchi knew that it was best to just go now, they'd already risked their lives plenty just taking Sakura after all.

"Yeah, hey you should write sometime Kid, I know we're not allies, but we could be someday hopefully" Kurotsuchi waved before the two of them were gone, Yugao ripped her mask off almost instantly.

Crushing Sakura to her again "Lets get you home Sakura, I know there are several people who want to see you" Itachi lifted his mask as the other Anbu faded into obscurity, until it was just the three of them.

Sakura couldn't help herself as she threw her arms around his waist as well, probably the first hug she'd ever initiated with the Uchiha in question "They kept telling me that they would let me go but I still thought that I was never going to get to come home" she cried softly.

Letting all the negative feelings she'd been feeling out in one violent torrent "Even if they had intended on keeping you we would have never allowed it Sakura, we would have come and got you" Itachi soothed.

Patting her back gently until she managed to stop crying and dry her eyes other than that she really was just fine and a second later they were at the gates in a flurry in black crow feathers "SAKURA" Tsunade yelled, charging them.

Enveloping the girl, her apprentice in her arms "Owww not so tight Shishou, Yugao-san already tried to crush my spine earlier" Sakura snickered but she gave the woman a hug, glad that she had so many people who loved her.

Off to the side Kakashi let out an inaudible sigh of relief "Why didn't you use the kunai Sakura" the Copy Ninja asked after a couple of minutes of just watching Sakura get her spine crushed by Tsunade who was reluctant to let the girl go.

"I wanted to, but I was also curious, turns out the Tsuchikage really just wanted to know why Raikage-sama seems to be so fond of me, plus I couldn't tip them off that I could escape any time I wanted especially with chakra suppression cuffs on me" Sakura scowled.

The Tsuchikage was one irritating old man for sure "Hold on if you were wearing chakra suppression cuffs, how did you use chakra Sakura-san" Minato caught on instantly to what she was saying.

Sakura grinned widely "Apparently chakra suppression cuffs don't block all the chakra points, only the main ones, but if one really concentrated and channeled chakra through a different chakra point you can get around the cuffs" Sakura informed.

Not guilty in the least for figuring that out, Jiraiya threw his head back laughing uproariously "You kill me Sakura but if you could figure that out so can that Yakushi bastard, so I'll get started on making cuffs that block all chakra points" Jiraiya settled after a moment.

Minato and Kakashi were similarly amused but they watched as the next person to approach Sakura was Shino "I'm never letting you out of my sight again, tomorrow when the exams start I swear I will make Chunin to go on any mission you go on" Shino swore to her.

Pulling her against him, worries settling now that he had her in his arms again safe where she'd stay no matter what he had to do "Good to have you back Sakura" Shikamaru waved at her from over Shino's shoulder.

Also among the huge group of people who'd been waiting for her to return "Thanks Shikamaru and I'm glad to be back, though I don't think I want to go on any more missions for awhile if that's okay Shishou" Sakura grimaced.

Glancing to Tsunade "I'll take you off the mission roster until your ready, plus you and Uchiha will be busy teaching academy brats soon" Tsunade relented, unwilling to let Sakura leave the village again if this was going to happen nearly every time.

"Yugao and I will see you in the hospital soon for another ultrasound" Hayate said when Sakura linked hands with Shino, her intent was clear, get home to her parents, Shisui, Sasuke and Naruto, the ones most important to her.

She met his gaze for a moment and nodded "I'll be there" Sakura assured, getting excited about Yugao's baby again as she started down the streets to her house, Shino at her side and Itachi tailing them at a short distance.

Her eyes watered at the sight of her house alarming Shino before she took a deep breath and opened the door "Sakura-chan…SAKURA-CHAN'S HOME" Naruto lunged at her with a happy yell, wrapping her up in a hug, poor Shino got caught in it as well.

His yelling however prompted the others in the house to run to the foyer, Shisui didn't care that she was in the midst of a hug with Naruto he simply wrapped his arms around the three of them "No more missions" Shisui grumbled, hating that he hadn't been able to do anything.

Then he was shoved out the way, Naruto quickly released Sakura and Shino took a large step back "My baby girl please tell us nothing happened, have you been crying do I need to beat those bastards up for you" Mebuki hugged her only daughter.

Only to hear a snap as she popped Sakura's back "Well now I know where my strength comes from, nothing happened, yes I cried but I'm okay and no, I don't think they'll try anything like this again" Sakura smiled slightly before assuring her mother that she was okay.

Kizashi was next though he was a lot gentler with his daughter than his wife had been "Shisui-san is right however, no more missions for awhile at least until we're sure no one else is going to be coming after you to kidnap you and hold you in their village" Kizashi stared at her sternly.

Not that he had to really worry "Trust me Dad, Shisui-ni I'm done with missions for awhile, plus I'm sorta looking forward to helping teach academy students" Sakura declared, eyeing the only person who hadn't greeted her yet.

Once her eyes met his however he came forward slowly "Stop scaring me, I can't lose you alright" Sasuke scowled at her, reaching out to hug her but he stopped midway and shot a look to Shino who nodded knowing he needed this.

Then she was pulled against Sasuke, his head on hers, since he was tall enough to do so now and spilled his previously unshed tears until he couldn't cry anymore, just then Sakura's stomach rumbled and they were all ushered into the kitchen to eat and later on Sakura happily crawled into her own bed to go to sleep.


End file.
